


Or is it something else?

by firemagealanna



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2018-08-15 14:51:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8060725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firemagealanna/pseuds/firemagealanna
Summary: Fleur Delecor came to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardy with every intention of winning and Triward Tournament, and thought she hated Hogwarts before she ever stepped foot in the castle. She couldnt have been more wrong.With an infamous "D.A." class, and its natoriously dangerous roster of students, running about the shadows of the tournament; Fleur swears to not only to win this ancient tournament and bring home the gold but to also get to the bottom of Hogwarts great mystery.Why Dumbledore allows such people to roam freely in his school?





	1. It begins...

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! So this is the Fleurmione story that I have been brain storming for a while and finally got written down to share. If you've seen it before, that would be because it is on my fanfiction page but i wanted to share it here as well.
> 
> Just so everyone knows, this story will be told from Fleur's point of view as she participates in the Triwizard Tournament.
> 
> Now before everyone runs away thinking this is just another fluff fic following the canon events of Rowling's wonderful series, i will let you all know that while this story mostly follows canon, there is one major difference that will result in many things being different from the original story but with the same ultimate outcome (with the exception of the Fleurmione pairing of course).
> 
> Oh and another note. Since this story is told in Fleur's perspective, anything said in French will be written in English since Fleur understands French as well as English. Any other language in the story will be written in as a bunch of noise since Fleur wouldn't understand what was being said. This is done mostly so I don't have to attempt to write in a language i know nothing about and avoid insulting people who do speak these other languages. Make sense?
> 
> Anyways, Enjoy the first chapter!
> 
> Firemage )0(

Hogwarts, honestly, was not impressing Fleur in the slightest.

Maybe is was the dreary and frigid weather, so unlike France's warm and docile weather. Maybe is was the ancient looking castle, nothing like Beauxbatons charming chateau. Or maybe it was the fact that apparently Hogwarts liked to foster a segregated mentality by splitting its students into houses and pitted them against each other at any chance they could.

Whatever the reason, Fleur did not like anything about Hogwarts despite having only been on it's grounds for less than an hour. The only thing that Fleur did like about Hogwarts was it's enchanted ceiling in the great hall. It was charmed masterfully to mimic the night sky, which while currently cloudy was beautiful in the moonlight.

Tearing her eyes from the silver clouds Fleur sat with the rest of her class at a blue themed table and allowed her classmates to fill in around her, partially shielding her from the drooling boys and jealous girls of Hogwarts.

It was a pain being a Veela sometimes, especially a quarter blood like her. Her Veela blood was strong enough that it manifested as a thrall and affected everyone around her like other Veela, but unlike them she had no control over the magical aura that had surrounded her since she had started puberty. So knowing this, Madam Maxime had ordered the others of their visiting group to keep Fleur close and away from the little boys who would be overly excited by her thrall. Not everyone was thrilled with the order of course but they complied anyway.

Hearing the doors of the great hall slam open again, Fleur huffed and ignored the marching Drumstrang students as they performed their own entrance piece before taking their place at the green themed table. Hearing many disappointed whines from some of the Hogwarts students, Fleur rolled her eyes and waited for the hall to quiet again so the feast could begin. After all no one had eaten in her group since they had left France earlier that day, the ride from Beaubatons to Hogwarts being too bumpy to enjoy a meal while everyone's stomachs were also too knotted in nerves with the upcoming tournament. Don't get her wrong, the carriage was beautiful and sent a powerful message to the other schools on Beauxbatons power and capabilities but it was not the smoothest of rides. It rocked in the changing air currents and one could always hear the flowing of wind around them, a mighty roar that drowned out most conversations kept at normal vocal levels. And that had probably been the worst part of the trip, the constant noise that filled in everyone's nervous silence. Noise that Fleur could still hear, even as she sat in Hogwarts Great Hall. The low roar of wind rushing past a large object.

"What is that noise?" she heard one of her classmates ask in French before looking up

"What noise?" she asked in her mother language as she noticed several people, Hogwarts staff even, beginning to look around to try and find the source of the sound in the hall.

"That low whistle sound." the girl supplied as she looked for the source of the sound Fleur had been hearing rather than imagining.

Listening closely, Fleur tried to locate the source of the sound and was soon joined by the rest of the hall in a collective gasp when they all noticed two large fireballs, one green and one gold, streaking across the enchanted sky.

Knowing the infernos had to be magical do to their coloring, Fleur went to ignore them as they were obviously fake. The ministry wouldn't allow two random and unnatural fire balls to just go streaking across the sky for muggles to see after all.

when suddenly the fireballs changed direction and were heading straight towards the great hall. As many students began to rise in their seats, the inferno getting closer, Fleur told herself that the fireballs weren't really there and that they were just part of the enchanted ceiling and said so to her fellow classmates. They seemed to accept what she was saying, as she was the number one charms student Beauxbaton's had seen in a few generations. But when they did not slow or disappear, Fleur began to panic as well and was quick to jump to her feet and draw her wand.

She was going to send a blast of magic at the ceiling that should clear it up but froze when she noticed Dumbledore wave his hand to open a hatch in the ceiling just above the teacher's table. Suddenly the two fireballs were actually in the great hall and everyone gave a scream of fright as the flames began to dance around the hall.

But there was no heat in the flames which quickly took the forms of two brilliant dragons, one emerald and one gold. The dragons of fire gave a mighty roar as their form was completed before they took off down the halls side walls towards the entrance. Coming to a convergence point, Fleur was positive the two dragons were going to collide together when she saw a group of people materialized from each of the flames, dropping down from it's center. Skidding to a stop just center of the hall's entrance, the group slowly collected themselves as the two dragons dissolved into two shrouds of green and gold light; crashing together gently and swirling together until they faded away entirely.

The whole hall froze for a moment, confused as to what had happened and who it was that had made such a flashy entrance. And as Fleur's brow knotted together in mild annoyance she saw a Hogwarts student at her table turn to her classmates.

"The D.A. class. Figures." the girl growled lowly, as the other students around her openly sneered at the small group. Distaste clearing shining in their eyes, peeking Fleur's interest almost instantly. Why were fellow Hogwarts students react so negatively to this group? Weren't they all classmates?

Curious as to what about the group had made just about every Hogwarts student tense with displeasure, Fleur took it upon herself to regard each newly arrived member closely.

Most noticeably of the group was a very tall man, not quite as tall as Madam Maxime but taller than any normal man anyday. With thick corded muscles and a large physique the man at a glance was the living image of masculinity with his well fitted black pants, boots, sash, and loose brown tunic shirt bearing the seal of Hogwarts on its back. His hair was black, long, and wild; obviously wind whipped from his entrance; while his beard was no better if not for two thin braids that ended with colored beads at his jaw below the corners of his mouth. But a closer look revealed warm eyes and an apologetic smile as the man hastily marched up the center of the hall towards the teachers table, a small group of five students behind him.

"Sorry fer bein' late professor. 'fraid I lost track of time and kept me class out too late." the man explained as Fleur sat back down and scanned the small group behind him.

The eldest two marched just behind the giant man and looked to be in her year, both wearing a similar outfit to the man but the girl's in a green shade and the boy's in a yellow shade.

The girl was a pretty thing of average height but had a stocky build. Her skin was a slight olive tone and had no blemishes on it from what Fluer could see. She might have been pretty to look at if her eyes weren't as hard the emeralds they replicated. Or if the serious fire lighting them at their deepest depths didn't betray an extremely stubborn soul and rigid morality. while her face was softened however by gently waving black hair that fell in cascades at her back, the girl's quick and methodical steps reminded Fleur more of a soldier then anything. Nothing at all like the boy walking besides her.

The boy in yellow looked like he could be the girls bother. He was a little taller than her but had a thin build to her stocky one. Their skin tone, eyes, and hair were all the same color but he was softened considerably by the short curls atop his head, a playful smile on his lips, the mischievous glint in his eye, and the spring in his step. That was not to say however that he seemed less imposing than his supposed sister, for while Fleir felt no magical aura around the girl she felt a large magical aura around him from her seat. Obviously the two were quite the pair.

Which made the trio following them a little disappointing to Fleur. The trio was two boys and a girl who looked to be a few years younger than her, maybe fourteen or fifteen. They were dressed the same as the rest of their group but in a maroon red.

They came up the center of the hall in a triangle formation, the small and pale boy with longer wild black hair and glasses in the lead. Fleur noticed how the boy seemed to curl into himself and his little entourage as if he hated the attention he was receiving but did not move away from his place as their leader. He looked sickly thin and Fleur was reminded of a small lost puppy who hadn't lost hope in it's dismal existence yet.

Just to his left was a taller redhead with a frame a little too big for his wiry muscles. The boy would probably be quite handsome when he finished filling out his frame but for now he looked like a bean sprout. Pale freckled skin framed his face and dancing blue-green eyes. He didn't have a spring in his step but he didn't march quite like the rest of the group either. He simply strolled up the hall with his hands in his pockets and a cocky smirk on his face.

To his right, marched the only other girl in the group. Fleur noted how compared to the others, this girl had the smallest frame of them all and little muscle. The girl took twice as many steps as the others to keep up but she didn't seem winded at all and kept a focused gaze trained ahead of her. She had smooth skin with bushy mousy hair that was tied back into a loose pony tail and intelligent hazel eyes. Eyes that reminded Fleur of an old soul.

"It's quite alright Professor Hagrid. After all, the task I assigned you and your class is not a meager one. Please join us for dinner." professor Dumbledore answered the giant man with a twinkle in his eye. Hagrid grinned at the elder man before politely bowing to the headmasters of each school, his group of students doing the same before breaking off to join their respective tables as Dumbledore began his speech of the tournament.

Fleur pretended to listen to the old man addressing the crowd on the rules of the tournament and present the goblet of fire when she felt a familiar presence at her back and tilted her head so her cousin could tell her whatever she thought was so important.

Rachel Delacour was Fleur and Gabrielle's first cousin, daughter to their Aunt Tempest, and someone Fleur was fiercely jealous of. Fleur's Aunt Tempest was half Veela just like Fleur's mother. But unlike Fleur's mother, Tempest's mate was a full-blooded Veela, making Rachel three-quarters Veela. Normally blood status did not bother the young French woman at all but Rachel's easy manipulation of her thrall made Fleur green with envy. She'd never be able to say It directly to Rachel, but Fleur sometimes wished desperately to have the kind of control her cousin did over her thrall.

Because while Rachel was able to make true friends who didn't drool every time she so much as looked at them, Fleur had to deal with the fact that no one outside of her clan would be able to see past the haze of pheromones Fleur secreted. Sure Rachel had tried to help her cousin make friends by using her own thrall to counter Fleurs, and for the most part it worked, but only when Rachel was with her. Without her cousin, Fleur had to deal with her constant loneliness when her classmates reverted back into perverted asses.

But at the same time, Fleur couldn't hold any of that against her cousin. Not really. It wasn't her job to look after Fleur or manage her crazy thrall. That was her job. So she was stuck between being jealous of her cousin and being grateful for the help she did get. Something Rachel seemed to pick up on but was never openly discussed between the two young women.

Hearing a soft whisper from behind her, Fleur actually turned her head to her cousin as the woman finished whispering to a blushing Hogwarts girl and quirked a brow at her cousin before mouthing womanizer.

Smirking playfully, Rachel leaned in to Fleur's ear to speak while fleur pretended not see the very jealous gaze from the girl her cousin had just been flirting with.

It was something Fleur was used to and assumed Rachel was used to as well. They were both apparently very popular if you asked their fellow classmates. Fleur to the young men and Rachel to the young women.

Rachel was Veela after all and definitely attractive but she wasn't beautiful in the classical sense like Fleur. Rather it would be more appropriate to say that Rachel was handsome while Fleur was beautiful and she knew it. Her cousin was average height but built much more like a man would be. Broad shoulders, nicely defined arms, and an almost non-existent waist certainly gave Rachel a man's silhouette while her preference for men's suits only highlighted this.

Rachel's dark brown hair was cut in a short pixie cut that she could sweep back for a business look or left loose for casual days. Honey colored eyes usually sparkled with mirth and and flirtatious smile made many young and inexperienced women weak in the knees and easy prey for Rachel. But what not a lot of people saw was the darkness that was hidden just below the surface of her cousin's act, the painful truth that Fleur knew her cousin was desperately running from by being such a womanizer.

"She was telling me how that group is supposed to be an advanced dueling class under the direct supervision of the headmaster." Rachel said a little loudly as the hall had suddenly erupted in loud protests at the tournaments new rule. Quirking a brow, Fleur urged her cousin to go on as silence fell back over the room.

"Apparently that class is invite only with no clear qualifications and comes with a lot of special perks." Rachel whispered softly, glancing up to Dumbledore once to see the unveiling of the triwizard cup.

Cursing softly, Fleur felt her disdain for this school grow a little more and muttered something along the lines of winded old goat, which earned a few snorts from her classmates. Obviously the small noises didn't go unnoticed however as a few Hogwarts students glared at them for supposedly laughing at Dumbledore's invitation to them to make themselves at home. But Fleur didn't care. She already didn't like Hogwarts so she just glared back and waited for the old man to finish.

When he did, Dumbledore returned to his seat again and all the tables filled with food. Excited chatter quickly filled the hall as students filled their plates and bellies before Fleur turned back to the girl her cousin had been flirting with.

"So what makes that group so special that they get to be part of this group?" Fluer asked the girl as Rachel began to fill both hers and Fleurs plate.

The young girl was going to answer but seemed to have choked on her pumpkin juice when she sneered at Fleur in her cup. Coughing heavily, an Asian looking girl beside Rachel answered instead.

"Like we said. There are no clear qualifications for that group." The girl began before pointing towards the green and yellow themed tables.

"The eldest two students are the Syces twins, Angela and Alexander. Angela is the head girl this year, the smartest girl in the seventh year, who is exceptionally gifted in transfiguration and wandless magic. Alex though, while not the head boy or very good at wandless magic like his sister, is still the best duelist in the whole school. Mostly because he is completely unpredictable, saying the incantation of one spell while actually using an other."

"Experts of wandless and wordless magic." Rachel noted as she casually set a plate in front of Fleur and started eating her own meal. "wouldn't want to have to face them together."

The idea of a pair of fighters, twins no less, that had mastery of wandless and wordless magic was intriguing to fleur as the challenge was undeniable. She would have to see if she could officially challenge them later when the Asian girl spoke again.

"Not many do. The Golden Trio may have been the only ones to do so, which might be why that got into the class." the girl continued.

"Golden Trio?" Fleur questioned with a raised brow as the girl nodded and motioned to the red table.

"Harry Potter, the boy who killed you-know-who. Hermione Granger, the smartest witch in this generation. And Ronald Weasley." the girl explained as Fleur looked at the trio at the red themed table across from her.

The first thing she noticed was that the girl wasn't eating and had a scowl on her face as she whispered to the boys she had entered with. Both boys continued to load their plates and whisper back before one of them passed her a rather rare looking steak. The girl hesitated a moment before taking it with a conflicted look I'm her eyes and slowly began to cut the red meat. Fleur watched the girl slowly take her first bite and turned back to the Asian girl.

"I still don't understand why there is such a disdain for them though." Fleur explained. Thus far, all she knew about the group was that they were an advanced dueling class with a pair of amazing duelist at the helm and three kids who were brave enough to try and take them on. Why did the rest of the school seem to despise them?

Fleurs question obviously made the girl uncomfortable as she looked to her fellow classmate for help but received none.

"Just tell her." one boy said lowly. "They will find out soon enough anyway."

"Find out what?" Fleur asked, getting impatient as the girl checked to see who was listening.

"Those three are bad news. Have been ever since their first year when they figured out a teacher was trying to steal from Hogwarts and killed him." the girl whispered, a touch of fear in her voice.

"They killed someone?" Rachel suddenly blurted out, interrupting her silence as she quickly threw a glance at the trios way. Fleur quickly did the same but when she saw the black haired boy glance her way she quickly threw her eyes back at her informant.

A few students around her nodded before they leaned in closer to share the rumors they had heard.

"Second year someone released a monster on the school. It was petrifying people left and right. When it got Granger, Potter and Weasley hunted it down and killed it." a boy supplied.

"Last year I heard Potter say he wished Black would find him so he could kill him. It was Snape that kept him from doing so and got Black captured." Someone else spoke up.

"Too bad Black escaped later that night." someone cut in.

"Escaped or freed?" Another questioned. " you saw the tower. The hatch had been blown off."

" Yeah but who would have done something like that? Let a mad man go?"

"Perhaps a certain teacher who was found to be a werewolf…"

"Oh yeah. That makes sense. A werewolf, on the full moon, decided to somehow use a blasting spell to let a mad man go."

The table quickly began to argue back and forth over the event but Fleur wasn't listening anymore. She was watching the trio closer, her gut telling her to be very wary of them from now on. She ignored her food as she watched the group talk before sharp brown eyes snapped up and locked onto her. Fleur stared back defiantly, not ashamed of being caught staring, when she saw a shocked sort of awe slowly creep into the girl's face. Raising a brow she watched the awe become more prominent as the girl's eyes widened and her fork dropped to her plate. Thoroughly confused now, Fleur wondered what the girl was so in awe about when her cousin waved her hand in front of her face.

"What?" Fleur asked, giving Rachel an annoyed look.

"Did you not hear me?" Rachel asked before continuing when Fleur shook her head no.

"They're class is listed as the D.A. class. With no further clarification on what that is. Some of them were saying it probably means something like Duelist Association or something. but someone's started the rumor that it's actually a Dark Arts class." Rachel explained.

"I don't see the Hogwarts headmaster, who started the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, starting a Dark Art class. It's a bit of a contradiction." Fleur countered. Rachel gave her a small smirk before taking Fleur's plate of bouillabaisse since there was no more at the table.

"The same headmaster that employed a thief and a werewolf. The same headmaster that let a monster attack his students and was finished off by his students rather than sending them home and hunting it down himself. The headmaster that caught a killer before losing him the same night he was captured. The man who is hosting this tournament." Rachel pointed out, knowing from Fleur's silence that she had won her argument.

"Does that all answer your question. Why the school resents this special little class?" Rachel asked as Fleur sighed

"Rule breakers, supposed killers, already put on a pedestal getting into a special class that's impossible to get in. Yeah, I can see it." Fleur commented before looking back at the trio who were now huddle closely to the girl.

"A special class with special perks." Rachel added, watching with fleur as the trio quickly stood up and hastily marched out of the hall, the boys ushering the girl Hermione away to their waiting senior members. The group disappeared into the dark halls, hundred of eyes following them.

"Like coming and going as they please." Rachel finished before seeing the burning gaze her cousin was giving the darkness the group had disappeared into.

Smiling knowingly, Rachel took a final sip of her pumpkin juice and thought of how interesting the year was going to be. Learning in Scotland rather than France, a killer tournament with eternal glory as it's prize, a dangerous group of students from the host school, and her crazy cousin Fleur. Fleur Delacour who took on any and all injustices head on, who had a little too much pride, and a little too competitive of a nature. She would challenge this school, it's students, and this tournament with everything in her as she always did and Rachel was there to watch her back as she did. She had a promise to keep after all...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter. Enjoy and dont forget to drop me a comment.

After dinner Fleur, Rachel, and the rest of their class had simultaneously stood up and marched to the goblet to drop their names in as had been previously decided. The Hogwarts students seemed surprised that they were putting their names in so soon after the announcement of the tournament but every girl there had come to Hogwarts with the sole purpose of competing in the tournament. That and they had had months to think about the choice to participate, unlike the Hogwarts students.   
So when they all finished and joined the headmistress to retire for the night, they were not surprised to see the Durmstrang students all stand up and march forward to give their names as well. They didn't pause however to actually watch the flames take the men's names but instead followed their leader silently out to the main entrance in two synchronized columns and were about to leave when they saw the D.A. class' teacher waiting just outside the hall by the castle's main door. When such a large man had slipped ahead of than they did not know but he bowed lowly to Maxime who paused to hear what he had to say.  
“Evening ma'am. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. I also teach Care of Magical Creatures and the D.A.” The man introduced himself before extending a hand to shake Maxime’s. She obliged him and shook his hand lightly as Fleur regarded the man closely. She assumed that like her headmistress, this man had some giant blood in him and was hiding it just as Maxime was. And just like her headmistress, the man seemed to try and make himself extra friendly to ensure that no one saw him as a threat.  
“Bonjour monsieur Hagrid.” Maxime replied softly before her students chorused after her. Smiling at them all, he bowed to the students before addressing Maxime again.  
“After talking with my headmaster, it has been agreed that the D.A. class will be looking after your Abraxan during your stay.” Hagrid informed her, making many of Maxime’s students raise a brow in shock.   
They all knew that their headmistress was not going to take such a decision being made without her council lightly. Especially when it involved her dear Abraxan that she herself had bred and raised so carefully. Fleur also knew that caring for the giant horses was exceedingly physical and her headmistresses favorite detention duty. She would not take this discussion well and the flushing in Maxime’s face was proof of that.  
“Is that so? Do you and your headmaster think my students are incapable of caring for the creatures we bring with us?” Maxime asked hotly, making Hagrid flinch.  
“Not at all ma'am.” Hagrid quickly covered, trying to defend himself from Maxime’s accusation without insulting her further. “It's just that Abraxan horses are not meant for the cold, not with how big they are. They will need a proper stable and as groundskeeper it's my job to make one. But, I can't do that as quickly as needed without help. Everyone will be busy with the tournament and since the D.A. aren't allowed to participate…”  
“The D.A. won't be in the tournament?” Rachel suddenly cut in, her curiosity peaked with this odd bit of information.   
Hagrid at least gave the group a slightly horrified look and turned his head away to mutter something about shouldn’t have said that before turning back to the group.  
“No they will not.” Hagrid admitted.  
“Why not?” Maxime demanded, more annoyed by the idea that Dumbledore was holding something back than the fact that one of her students had spoken out of turn.  
Hagrid paused to consider what to tell the group of French women.  
“The advanced members of the D.A. will be assisting us in making a few preparations for the tournament.” Hagrid admitted slowly. “Because of such it would give them an unfair advantage and so none of them are to participate. They've all agreed to such.”  
“What kind of preparations would your ministry need students for?” Fleur asked, feeling like she now had more questions about this group then possible.  
“Nothing they can't handle.” Hagrid answered defensively before taking a breath and steadying himself.  
“My class and I will assemble a stable for your Abraxan. If you chose to care for them yourselves that's fine. Just tell me if you need us to take over. Goodnight ladies.” Hagrid declared quickly and evenly before turning and heading out of the castle and towards the small wooden cabin near the woods that the carriage had been pulled close to.   
It took Maxime a moment to gather herself after the sudden shift in the man's behavior but when she did she called for her class to follow her back to their carriage.   
Crossing the Scottish grounds to their temporary home, every girl felt the biting chill deeper in their bones than the few hours before but every girl made sure to take every step evenly and with confidence. It was an act they barely managed to pull off before slipping into the warmth of the carriage.   
Walking into the carriage the girls were greeted with the familiar sight of the main sitting room. It was the room they had travelled to Hogwarts in but it had expanded now that the carriage was no longer in flight. What had once been a relatively relaxed room with a few luxury chairs was now a beautiful modern sitting room lined with book shelves and lots of windows for natural light. Towards the back of the carriage was a stairway that led up to everyone's rooms.   
Every room dormed two girls with the exception of two rooms. One which Madam Maxime slept in and the other that was to be the champion's personal study. But for now, the room was empty and unused.  
Gathering around the main entrance, the girls waited for Maxime to dismiss them so they could go to independent studies for the rest of the night. Luckily they didn't have to wait long as Maxime quickly ordered them all to finish their studies and retired for the night.  
As the other girls all began to loiter around the main hall, Fleur and Rachel followed their headmistress’ lead and headed up stairs. Neither girl spoke as they climbed the stairs or as they entered their shared room. It wasn't until they were inside, the door locked, and a silencing charm in place that they spoke.  
“What are you thinking Fleur?” Rachel asked as she dropped into her bed on one side of the room. Her charms book flew off the desk built by the foot of her bed when Rachel summoned it and opened where she last left off before settling on her stomach so she could read. Fleur sat at her desk opposite of Rachel's and started to take off her uniform to change into something comfortable from the trunk under her bed.   
“What kind of tasks a group of students could be more help in then a department of adults.” Fleur answered, her brain working furiously as she mindlessly performed her nightly routine.   
“Maybe they're more like consultants.” Rachel offered. “Gives the tournament maker's and better idea of what the contestants should be capable of.”  
“True.” Fleur agreed as she set out a new uniform for the next day and sat in her bed. As much as she wanted to believe her cousin however, something just wasn't settling right with her. There was a lot more going on then anyone was going to admit.  
The events from earlier that evening for example. The two flames that started as fireballs and turned into dragons the second they entered the school.   
Now summoning fire wasn't a hard thing for wizards to do, most third years could master the charm with relative ease. What had made the flames so fascinating was not just their abnormal color but the fact that they had no heat. An effect that defied logic as most fire charms could be broken down into the use of friction to create heat and eventually fire.  
So perhaps rather then say that the group had traveled in fireballs, it might have been more accurate to say they had used light and clouds to cast an illusion of fire. After all, when the flames did disappear they faded away in gentle swirls like two clouds of colored mist disappaiting. And if that was so then the group had some impressive spell work in it.   
Spell work not taught in school. Spell work that was highly specialized and considered a trade skill. Spell work meant to deceive.  
Further supporting this theory that something else was going on in this school was the fact that this group of students appeared to be skilled enough to make these lights look like flames, use levitation spells without mediums on each other and fly into a small hatch, and further alter the general look of the spheres to take the forms of dragons. Sure they were a group but people's magic typically clashed when doing such collaborated feats and fleur couldn't recall feeling more than one magic in each of the dragons. So did one person in each dragon cast all of that? Just to show off?   
It was a bit extreme but from what she knew of the group's members, extreme seemed to fit right up their alley.  
“Advanced indeed.” Fleur muttered to herself. She saw Rachel lower her book from the corner of her eye and raise a brow but didn't comment at first.   
“Stop thinking so hard cousin. The furrow between your brows is getting worst.” Rachel demanded after a moment as she lifted her book back up to resume her reading.  
“Write to auntie or grandmother. And stop worrying so much.” Rachel huffed, making Fleur annoyed.  
“You don't worry enough.” Fleur argued with her cousin. But she knew Rachel was right, she wouldn't figure this out on her first day here. Besides, she didn't want worry lines either.  
“Have you already forgotten your waiting fan group? If you don't write to them soon they'll forget about you and start to worship some other gay veela. Like Jackie.” Fleur teased. She knew her cousin would take the bait and she did as Rachel shot up out of bed, pale and whispering silent curses.  
Rachel then summoned her quill and ink to write her fan club. Laughing at her cousin's ridiculousness, Fleur soon followed her lead to write her parents. The two then sat up and talked about classes until it was time for bed.  
When they did ultimately fall asleep, they were worry free and had pleasant dreams.

\---  
The following morning Fleur was jolted from her peaceful sleep by a heavy but rhythmic thudding noise resonating throughout the entire carriage. Looking around to find the source of the noise she was confused to instead find her room dark and empty, with no sign of what was making such a racket.  
“God what time is it?” Rachel demanded from under her blanket as the thudding woke her as well.   
Lifting herself up to grab her watch hung from the thin railing of her headboard, Fleur checked the time to find it was just after five in the morning.  
“5:06.” Fleur answered tiredly as Rachel groaned and threw her pillow over her head to drown out the noise and go back to sleep. Fleur was quick to follow her lead and laid back in bed with her pillow over her head and her watch in her hand when more noises joined the thudding.   
Scraping and screeches.   
Thudding and tacking.   
Whirling and dragging   
“Oh, God Damn it!” Rachel cursed loudly before throwing her pillow off of her. “Fine! Were getting up!” she hissed as she jumped out of bed and grabbed her things to dress for the day. Fleur wasn't so willing to get up yet but a serious threat of summoning ice cold water from her irate cousin got her up and out of bed.   
The two grabbed their morning essentials before marching down a hall of irritated and sleepy girls to the community bathroom to start their day. As always the room was cramped and both Fleur and Rachel had to wait to shower but there was a sort of organized chaos to the room. Girls would come in and use the loo, shower and change, before finally using the mirrors to apply makeup and finish of their appearance. Only then would they use a spell to send their thing back to their rooms and go lounge in the sitting area waiting for the headmistress to lead them back to Hogwarts for some breakfast. And whether by luck or misfortune, the noise had woken Maxime this early as well.  
“Come dears. Let's find the source of this racket and hex it for the ungodly hour before some breakfast.” Maxime called darkly, meaning every word. And honestly, every girl was in agreeance with their headmistress.  
Casting a quick warming spell over themselves, Fleur and Rachel took their places at the head of the columns behind Maxime and stepped out into the dark and freezing Scottish morning. But it wasn't dark.  
Just outside the cottage there was a gentle light steadily shining in the nearby field from four small orbs of light, illuminating the skeleton of a large building and the terribly underdressed members of the DA all making a racket.  
The four young students were all dressed the same; a sleeveless black shirt that clung very tightly to their frames as if painted onto their torsos, long and loose fitting shorts, and high top boots. Each also had a sheen of sweat over their exposed limbs and breathed out small puffs of fog in the morning cold, indicating that they had been out working for quite some time.  
“Mornin ladies.” a gruff voice called, interrupting the French students disbelieving stares. Turning to the voice, Fleur was surprised to see Hagrid slowly trudging up to them as he dragged a very large and heavy looking tree behind him by two thick ropes.  
“Bit early isn't it?” Hagrid asked as he passed the group, dragging the log closer to his class who were all beginning finishing up their current project. No one responded, too shocked to know what to say while Fleur watched as the female twin used a levitating spell to slow her descent after stepping off one of the top rafters of the stable and gently land on the ground.   
“Nice one Hagrid. That one will place the last beam and we can start putting up the wall's tonight.” the girl noted, ignoring the French group’s stares.   
“Thought so too.” Hagrid responded before dropping the log close enough to his class.  
“The little mouse is missing” Rachel whispered in Fleurs ear as the British witch ordered the two youngest boys to start processing the log.  
Looking over the group again, Fleur noticed that her cousin was right. The only other girl in the DA was missing.  
“Where is the little one?” Fleur asked, ignoring the display of magic as the younger DA members went to strip the log of it's bark and set it in place. The young woman, that Fleur was suspicious was the group's leader, raised a brow at her and shook her head.  
“I don't speak French.” she pointed out, making Fleur realize that she was indeed using her mother language.  
“Pardon.” Fleur tried again in English. “But where is the last member of your group? There are five of you and only four present.”  
Raising a brow at Fleur, the woman had a contemplating look on her face as if she were deciding how much of the truth to tell Fleur if any at all. Her attention was drawn away however when the last beam was finally set and nailed in and the boys groaned in relief.  
Turning around, the girl inspected their work while Fleur bristled at the disrespect shown to her. Ready to give the arrogant woman a price of her mind she was a little shocked when the woman spun back around to address her.  
"Hermione was ill this morning. She couldn't get out of bed so she is excused from this mornings exercises." The girl explained briefly before turning back to her group a d ordering them to shower and change before coming down to breakfast.  
It was only when Rachel pulled Fleur back in line that the quarter Veela realized Maxime was also headed for the great hall, satisfied with her lecture to Hagrid. Taking her place by her cousin, Fleur noted Rachel's inquisitive glance but didn't comment.  
Marching through the cold grounds, the girls followed silently as they came up to the castle of Hogwarts and entered its vast doors. Feeling some warmth as soon as they stepped in Fleur lessened her warming charms to not over heat herself before she entered the great hall. they were pleasantly surprised to find it already stocked with food and mostly empty, only two teachers sitting up at the main table, so they stood by the table they had claimed the night before and waited for Maxime to finish her trek up the hall and take a seat.  
Luckily the giant woman was too tired to dally and was quick to sit down to a cup of string coffee. Sitting down at the blue table, Fleur and Rachel sat away from their classmates at the end of the table to enjoy a quiet breakfast since none of the girls had to shield the two Veela from overly zealous boys and their abundant infatuation.  
Choosing a light meal of fruit and toast, Fleur turned to her cousin to answer her unspoken question from earlier.  
"She is sick. To answer you question." Fleur explained as Rachel spooned a large amount of honey into her porridge and sprinkled some shredded cheese on her eggs and toast.  
"Really? Looked fine last night." Rachel answered half heartedly as she sampled her large breakfast.  
Thinking again of the events the night before, Fleur frowned as she recalled how perfectly normal the teen seemed the night before. At least up until she had locked eyes with her and the girl was whisked out of the hall. Which made Fleur scowl as her brain ran over her theories again before she heard Rachel's nagging in the back of her head from the night before telling her to stop or she'd get wrinkles.  
Dismissing the gloomy thoughts, Fleur focused on her breakfast and enjoyed the quiet solitude before someone loudly sat opposite of her and Rachel.  
"You seem to have a rather bad infestation of Wackspurts. Is your mind fuzzy today?" A soft and dreamy voice sounded from across the table.  
Looking up, Fleur was shocked to see a young Hogwarts student sitting across from her and her cousin. She was shocked not just for the fact that someone in this large and cold castle was up at the ungodly hour of six thirty, but because the girl actually had the courage to sit there with her and her cousin. Worried at what this could mean, Fleur scowled again and took in the girls appearance wondering what the girl would gain by trying to be friendly to them. After all, experience had taught her that no one was just friendly around her without some ulterior motive.  
The girl looked around fourteen, had a pale complexion, pale blonde hair that lazily fell down her back in waves, and the palest blue eyes Fleur had ever seen. But it wasn't how pale the girls eyes were that shocked Fleur, or how the girl seemed to don such an dreamy aura around her the fleur wondered if she were real. It was how despite all this, and despite everything she thought she knew about non-Veela, the girls eyes were the clearest and most honest she had ever seen. Piercing and unfazed by the cloud of hormones completely unmanaged and unsupervised surrounding the two Veela that made even the friendliest girls jealous of the cousins.  
Staring at the girl across from her with the most neutral face she could hold, Fleur waited for a tell tale sign that the girl had some ulterior motive for chatting with them. But none came, and the light blonde just smiled dreamily at her before turning towards Rachel.  
"It seems you've gotten them too." She commented the normally charming veela.  
Rachel, who had bern frozen in mid-drink at the sudden arrival, choked and nearly spat her tea all over the girl. Trying to control her coughing fit, she turned a bright shade of red as their classmates turned to them to see what the commotion what about and were rewarded with the very rare sight of a blushing Veela. Instantly the girls started whispering amongst each other, hands barely covering half smiles as they thought of ways to tease the womanizer for her flustered reaction later.  
"Are you alright?" The Hogwarts student asked quickly in concern as she offered the normally charming Veela a napkin. Rachel, being unable to answer right away, waved the girl off who turned her attention back to fleur.  
"You should do something about those wackspurts by the way. They can be quite a pest when trying to study." The girl continued, a friendly smile on her face. Giving the girl the same confused look she had just been giving her cousin, Fleur tried to understand what the girl was saying but had no idea what a wackspurt was.  
"I'm sorry. A what?" She asked as Rachel got herself together and tried to regain some of her dignity.  
"A wackspurt. Tiny invisible bugs that fly around your ears and make your brain fuzzy." The girl explained, making Fleur slightly paranoid when her ear tickled ever so slightly. Resisting the urge to swat at her ear, Fleur nodded to the girl as she didn't know what else to say.  
"Just think happy thoughts." The odd girl suggested as she quickly stood up and walked away, a group of sneering Hogwarts girls in the same blue robes bumping into her roughly as she passed them at the halls entrance.  
Hearing a low curse, Fleur turned to her cousin and was shocked to find her glaring angrily at the group before stabbing at a piece of egg and forcing it rather roughly in her mouth, a slight red tint on her cheeks.  
"Are you okay?" Fleur asked, thrown off by her cousins odd behavior. Rachel was normally very charming and level-headed. The fact the she had reacted extremely, for her, not once but twice now was a huge cause for concern for the quarter-Veela.  
"Fine." Her cousin all but growled as she took a large bite of her toast and chewed it as if the bread had committed some sin against her.  
Raising a brow at her, Fleur assumed her cousin was upset with herself for how she had reacted to the airy blonde and just returned to her breakfast silently.  
Chewing on a piece of fruit slowly, fleur ignored her classmates thrilled chatter further down the table and the waking Hogwarts students lustful looks. Giving one boy a particular hard glare that him scrambling away, Fleur hoped for a quiet day at her first classes in this horrible school before swatting at her ear when she felt it tickle a little.  
One could only wish though.


	3. chapter 3

Marching down the empty hall, Fleur heard the sharp tack of her heels on the stone pathway match perfectly with her erratic heartbeat. Her veela magic was coiling in her chest practically begging to be released, burning white hot with rage and embarrassment. But she couldn't allow such. Even as a quarter-veela it was extremely dangerous for her to just up and give in to the primal instincts of her Being. So she sought for somewhere quiet and alone to choke down her raging emotions before they got away from her and tried not to think on how horrible her day was becoming. And she blamed the horrid day on her equally bad luck of getting all her worst class on the same day.  
Wanting to be a curse-breaker like her father, Fleur specialized in charms, runes, and advance magical theory. Subjects she excelled in and had a natural gift for. Sadly however, her dream job also required an expert knowledge of potions, magical creatures, and defensive spells. If she was going to work in ancient tombs like she wanted that is.  
These other classes Fleur had a proficient knowledge of at best. Although that wasn't to say that she was stupid, quite the opposite if one reviewed her grades. It was just that she was better with the more logical subjects rather than the practical ones. She could recite facts to you for each class but putting them to use was another matter entirely.  
So of course, her first day at Hogwarts had to be filled with her less than favorite classes. She had only been to two of the three classes for the day thus far and she was already at her limit for toleration. With both the professors and all the petty and vulgar Hogwarts students who she had to take such classes as well.  
After breakfast with the odd blonde Hogwarts girl, Fleur and Rachel were given their schedules and a map of the castle. They had Care of Magical Creatures together from seven thirty to nine thirty. They then had a thirty minute break to get to their next class which were different and in opposite directions, Fleur had Potions in the dungeons and Rachel Transfiguration in one of the towers. They would be separated two hours, leaving Fleur to handle her thrall as much as she could alone, until all students went to lunch at noon for an hour. At one they would both go to Defense Against the Dark Arts and stay there until three. After that, until six at night, was a study period. Then there was dinner for an hour before a two hour period of free time. At nine all students were required to return to their dorms and lights out by ten.  
The following day's schedule was more or less the same but with her other three classes; Advanced Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, and Advanced Charms.  
Her week would keep rotating like that until Friday when Fleur only had two practical classes in the morning that would rotate between Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts one week and Charms and Transfiguration the next. After her classes on Friday she was free until the following Monday.  
It was a consistent schedule and the only real problem Fleur had with it was how she literally would have whole days of her strong and weak subjects.  
When the warning bell rang that the first class of the day was to begin in thirty minutes, Fleur and Rachel got up and left the now overly crowded hall to walk back through the cold and misting morning to Care of Magical Creatures. A very small group of Hogwarts boys followed them, all claiming to be in the class as well. They tried to flirt with the Veela’s of course, claiming they were too pretty to be mucking it up with Hagrid’s newest import, but they were only met with cold glares and silence.  
Now Fleur didn't have much of an opinion of the half-giant before that morning. But after being introduced to the madman's creation, Blasted-End Skewerts, she changed her opinion from harmless to demented. No one could find such creatures adorable or fascinating, and yet Hagrid did. She would never look at the man the same again.  
So after a couple hours of fighting off and dodging a dozen dog sized scorpions and a half dozen enthralled boys, the girls had just about had it with the whole lot.  
Becoming so vexed with the either the hideous creatures or the boys, she really wasn't sure which, Rachel saw Fleur draw her wand to hex one of the two pests when the Skewerts all instantly began to retreat back to their cages.  
Whatever had caused the monsters to retreat was rather good fortune for the students though, as the bell rang to inform them that the first class of the day was over and to head for their next class. With the creatures already put up, Hagrid quickly dismissed the class before the man disappeared somewhere off in the tree line. How? She didn't know. She'd have to think later on how such a large man was just disappearing so casually before following her cousin back to the carriage instead of the castle.  
They had just enough time to quickly shower the muck and grime off of themselves before having to run in opposite directions to get to their next class.  
Unfortunately though, Fleur found herself being tied up by a nasty poltergeist who stopped throwing paint on walls and tried his aim on her. She had managed to dodge the initial attack of course and threw a counter curse at the ghost that just fazed through the cackling spirit. She might have tried another spell if the bell hadn't rang again, signaling the start of the second class and reminding Fleur that she was late . Sprinting off to class, Fleur ignored the howling spirit giving chase until she jumped down the stairwell leading to the dungeons. The spirit did not follow though as he must have thought her too boring to pursue but if he had he would have received quite the scene when Fleur finally found the right room and abruptly entered the Potions class.  
Sitting quickly, Fleur ignored the disbelieving stares she was receiving and the occasional snicker from the green clad members of her class . Glancing up at the board she saw a very complicated potion being written out by a magical piece of chalk and wondered where the professor was. She didn't have to wonder long however as a tall and pale man stepped out of the shadows from behind the dungeon door. Stepping up to her desk, Fleur regarded the man closely. From his slick black hair, cold and dead black eyes, and the deep scowl firmly set in place on his face. Fleur could tell this man would give her nothing but grief.  
“You are late.” he commented as Fleur looked up at him, trying to read him. “Tardiness is not tolerated in my class Mrs….”  
He trailed off, his eyes burning furiously. Unsettled by the man's gaze, Fleur gripped her hands under the desk to avoid fidgeting.  
“Delacour .” she provided. There was a flash of knowing in that man's eyes and Fleur swallowed when she realized that he knew what she was. It was never good when someone got that look. It meant she was either going to have to fight off their advances or their insults.  
The professor seemed to go with option two however, when he didn't speak directly to her again and instead marched back up to the front of his class.  
“I will make this clear to all of our newest students now. Tardiness is not welcome here and those who are tardy will find themselves removed from this class. permanently.” the man sneered as he glared at Fleur specifically.  
“Now that you've been warned, heed it and open your books to chapter two. “ the man resumed his lesson.  
Which of course had more than a few snide remarks in it. More than once the snake of a man would come by her station and comment on how she was preparing her ingredients wrong and wasn’t surprised that a Being such as herself couldn't handle even this much. He’d also make some backhanded comment about how she was making a complicated potion, not Sleezys hair tamer and if she spent more time in front of her books rather than a mirror she might know the difference. And of course each comment was accompanied with a snicker from the Hogwarts students.  
By the time the bell rang, Fleur could feel her pulse in her neck and the sneering Hogwarts students were really pushing to see if she could control her temper.  
Which is what had lead her to her seething march down the empty halls. It was lunch period and she knew her cousin would be looking for her but if she heard another snicker or comment about dumb blondes she was going to snap.  
So Fleur found herself seeking out the most solitary place she could find to properly vent. She was lucky after a few minutes of getting herself lost in the twisting halls to find a small but empty courtyard with a single bench to one side and a tall oak tree growing at its center. Not even bothering to think she kicked her heels off just inside the archway and threw down her book bag before getting a running jump for the lowest branch.  
Catching it with one hand, she easily pulled herself up and began climbing as high as she thought the tree would hold her. Sitting as high as she dared to go with her head in her hands, Fleur breathed deeply as she tried to calm the ball of anger and rage in her chest.  
She hated her Veela heritage in moments like this. Moments when she was practically a second away from losing herself to the monster she kept locked away due to hurt pride or insult. She hated giving others such power over herself to affect her so. To make her feel as if she was losing her carefully maintained control.  
Allowing the hot tendrils of anger to lash out across her chest and burn hot against her heart, Fleur waited for her veela to draw comfort from the tree she sat in. For the very energy of the ancient oak to pacify her. She sat patiently as her solace brought her comfort and cooled her head.  
Spending a few more minutes in the tree to rejuvenate herself, Fleur gave one last cleansing sigh before slowing making her way back down to solid ground. Gracefully landing on her feet, she went to collect her things when she noticed that her bag and shoes had been moved.  
Instantly she was on edge, her wand in her hand.  
Casting a quick charm to check if she was alone, Fleur was mildly surprised to find that she was. Yet her things had been stacked nicely on the only bench in the courtyard with a tray of food. Since she had been left alone and whoever had found her had had enough kindness to leave her food, Fleur assumed it was one of the Beauxbaton girls who moved her things. As only they would know to leave a distressed Veela alone to recollect themselves.  
Sighing in mild relief, Fleur pocketed her wand and sat down to eat the provided meal on the bench. It was a warm meal of fish stew with plenty of meat and potatoes to keep her full, fresh rolls, and a couple fruit tarts. There wasn't anything to drink but Fleur easily provided herself one when she transfigured a leaf into a goblet and used a charm to summon some water into it. The lunch was warm and helped Fleur to fully relax as she enjoyed it in the trees mighty silence.  
As she ate, she silently chastised herself for allowing this school to affect her so much. It had been a domino effect, she’d admit. Since she had been woken so early that morning, nothing had been going her way. But she had dealt with worse than ignorant remarks and even been on the receiving end of some nasty rumors. So this place and the insults it had to offer her shouldn't be anything worse than she had already dealt with.  
With that thought, Fleur squared her shoulders and set her head high. She wouldn't allow anyone in this miserable castle to affect her again.  
Once she finished eating, Fleur put her heels back on and set her mind to the task of getting back to the main entrance of the school. She hadn't been paying much attention to where she was going earlier and now she was thoroughly lost with anyone who may help her where she needed to be rather than nearby. Wishing she had paid a little more attention, Fleur went to dig in her bag for the map she had been given, hoping she could figure out where she was by a few notable landmarks within the castle, when a loud pop sounded just off to her right. Again, she was on her feet with her wand out and pointed at the smallest creature she had ever seen.  
A house elf. A house elf with electric green eyes, a sharp and thin nose, and large floppy ears.  
Being from a wealthy family, Fleur knew of house elves and their….unique…. relationship with wizards. Her family personally didn’t keep house elves as slaves like the rest of the wizarding world but had an agreement with the hard working elves. They would clean, maintain the house, and prepare major meals in exchange for a comfortable and honorable life. They were given their own quarters with beds and bathing rooms, tailored uniforms that were replaced when necessary, three meals a day, and the promise that should they require time to themselves due to sickness of loss of family they would tell a member of the Fleur’s family so they could have the time they needed and their work be handled until they returned.  
Fleur had been told that many years ago the elves fought such luxurious terms but had gotten used to servitude in the veela homes. They now even accepted presents on their own birthdays and christmas.  
So when she saw the small elf in his mismatched jumper and shorts, she knew he was no threat to her and quickly lowered her wand.  
“Good day Miss. My name is Dobby. Dobby the free elf.” the creature proclaimed proudly as it bowed deeply to her.  
“Free elf? I did not think I would meet a free elf in this country.” Fleur remarked, rather amazed that someone in this cold and blasted country had the heart to free even one of their convenient servants.  
“Dobby is unusual for his freedom miss. Not many house elves enjoy it but Dobby does.” the elf admitted with a small shrug before jumping slightly as if remembering something.  
“Ah but we must go now miss. Last class of the day starts soon and Dobby promised to make sure miss got to her class on time.” the elf admitted quickly as he snapped his fingers to make Fleur’s lunch tray disappear.  
“Promised?” Fleur asked intrigued. None from Beauxbaton knew the elves of Hogwarts well enough to ask such of them. So Dobby’s promise could not have been made by one of them.  
“I’m sorry Dobby. But who made you make such a promise?” Fleur asked, her curiosity getting the best of her as she stood and shouldered her bag.  
“Dobby cannot say miss. He promised he would bring miss lunch and make sure she got to class on time without saying who he promised to.” the elf answered sheepishly as he made his way to the archway. Fleur frowned at the elfs answer and wanted to pry further. But she knew that once an elf was sworn to secrecy, they would die before divulging that secret. So she simply sighed and shook her head as Dobby gave her a bemused look.  
“Where is miss needing to go? Which class?” the elf asked when he knew Fleur was ready to go.  
“Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Fleur answered, getting a nod from the elf.  
“This way then. Come quickly or we will be late.” the elf exclaimed as he began to lead Fleur to where she needed to go. Following closely behind, she listened as Dobby began rambling on how he learned to move about the castle the following year.  
“If miss would like, Dobby can show miss the fastest ways to her classes. Then miss will never be late.” the elf suggested happily before seeing Fleur’s bemused look and misinterpreting it.  
“Only if miss desires so though.” the elf quickly added with an edge of panic in his voice.  
“It's fine Dobby. Your help would actually be most appreciated. But aren't you taking your promise to get me to class on time a little too far? Im sure your friend only meant for you to look after me just this once.” Fleur pointed out.  
“Dobby likes to be thorough with his promises miss. And Dobby knows his friend will appreciate it.” the elf answered before stopping as the sounds of people chatting slowly filled the hall.  
“Miss’ class is down there. Turn left at the corner and it's the third door on the right.” Dobby instructed as he turned to Fleur.  
Sighing in relief, Fleur turned to the elf as well.  
“Thank you Dobby. I do appreciate it. Perhaps you can show me those short cuts tomorrow? Help you keep your promise.” she teased, getting a light blush from the elf.  
“Of course miss. If you want Dobby will come at breakfast to show miss the way.” the elf offered. Agreeing to such, Fleur waved goodbye to the elf before following his directions into her next class.  
Entering the room, she withheld her disgust at the rows jars lining the room with all sorts of creepy crawlies in them.  
Her nose wrinkled at the sight of the creatures before a shimmer in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Seeing her cousin walking over briskly with a worried look, Fleur gave her an apologetic look before the two hugged fiercely.  
“Are you alright? You didn’t come to lunch.” Rachel asked quickly, her voice tense with worry as she looked over her cousin for any sign as to where she had gone to.  
“Forgive me cousin. I had to reconnect with the Earth and let it soothe my troubles.” Fleur answered, knowing her cousin would know understand exactly what had happened and know what Fleur had done to ease her veela. Getting a dark look in response, Fleur chuckled as she moved to sit at the same desk her cousin had already claimed.  
“Do not expect a kind reception in Potions, especially if you're late.” Fluer advised as she got her things out and Rachel sat beside her.  
“On the bright side though, I’ve made a friend who's promised to show us the short cuts to our classes.” Fleur added before noticing her cousin’s brows had disappeared into her hairline.  
“You? The ice queen, made a friend outside of the clan? I should ship you back home and have grandmother inspect you for suggesting such a thing!” Rachel shouted in disbelief before Fleur slapped her shoulder.  
“Do no such thing. Dobby is quite a nice house elf and he's promised to help me navigate this blasted castle.” Fleur huffed to her cousin, who gave her an understanding look as the bell rang again.  
Turning their attention to the disfigured man who was to teach them this year, Fleur wondered why Dumbledore employed such a delusional and paranoid man when he presented the defense he was.going to teach them.  
Occlumency. The act of defending one's mind from evaders. It was an advanced skill that could take years to master but their teacher saw no harm in them getting a head start.  
Partnering up, they first had to learn Legilimency before going on to practice its counter and spent the period working on the theory behind the spell while the madman paced around the room offering advice as he went.  
Before anyone knew it, it was study time and all the Beauxbaton girls were marching for the carriage to enjoy its comfortable chairs rather than the benches on the great hall of Hogwarts. Fleur and Rachel decided however, to do their studying in their room.  
“So.” Rachel started when they reached their safe haven. “Learned a lot today.”  
Fleur scoffed at that and began listing the important things they had learned.  
“Of course. Bring an extra uniform to Care of Magical Creatures and use a cleansing charm rather than a shower. Don't ever be late for Potions or face prejudice and snarky comments all day. Well…” she paused as if thinking. “Just expect it anyways. Apparently we are nothing more than a pair of dumb veela to the Potions Master. And my favorite of course, have constant vigilance against the dark arts. They could pop out of your cereal if you're not careful.”  
Rachel gave a hearty laugh at her cousin as she finished her list of thing she had supposedly learned that day. Once the two had a good laugh, Fleur sat at her desk while rachel laid on her bed.  
“So tell me about this charming elf who has melted my dear cousins frozen heart.” Rachel asked, giving her cousin a mischievous grin.  
“If you must know, apparently while I was calming my Veela someone saw me hiding up in a tree. They asked Dobby to bring me something to eat and make sure i got to class on time.” Fleur explained.  
“How chivalrous. And here i thought the old ways were dead. So who are they then?” Rachel asked as she pulled her books out to start her studying.  
“I don't know. Dobby wouldnt tell me but offered to show me the shortcuts to class to avoid being late in the future.” Fleur explained as she went to follow her cousins example and start her homework.  
“That'll be useful.” Rachel commented half heartedly as Fleur noticed both their letters were still on her desk. She briefly debated on when she should go to the owlery to send them off and decided to do so before darkness set in.  
“I’m off to the owlery. You coming?” Fleur asked as she grabbed her scarf and wrapped it around her neck.  
“I just got out of the cold. I'd rather not go back out into it.” Rachel remarked as she began scribbling something down on a piece of parchment.  
“Fine.” Fleur huffed as she stuffed both letters into her bag. “I'll go alone.”  
Waving bye, rachel continued her work as Fleur pretended to be upset and marched out of the room. Once she was in the hallway though, her small pout faded away for a ghost of a smile as she made her way to the owlery with the help of her map.  
It was a long and cold trek around Hogwarts outer wall and and up a hill to the remote standing tower but it passed quickly enough. Climbing to the top, Fleur found herself alone with a couple dozen owls watching her.  
“Artemis.” She called as a female gyrfalcon lazily soared down to her waiting arm. Fleurs messenger bird was one of the largest breed of falcons but she was easily the fastest and most stunning examples of the breed that Fleur had ever seen. Pale bluish silver feathers covered the bird from crown to foot. Its morph, or dark patterning, was only along Artemis’ back, wings, and tail that were tipped a dark grey color. Intelligent bright yellow eyes studied her master patiently as she waiting for her instructions and Fleur smiled adoringly at the bird before stroking its chest.  
“Hello pretty girl. Was the flight here long?” She asked as the bird preened at her compliment. Vain bird.  
“Will you carry these letters for me? The first to Rachel's fan club back at Beauxbatons and the second to my mother.” she asked as her bird flapped its wings in response. Knowing that meant yes, Fleur tied the letters to her bird's leg and offered her a dried fish strip before walking her to the south facing platform. Wishing her bird a safe trip, she watched her take flight and waited until she could no longer see her bird.glimmering in the horizon.  
Sighing to herself when she could no longer see the bird, fleur went to head back when she heard the most unusual cry. Snapping her head in the noise direction, Fleur felt herself gasp sharply as she caught the sight of a creature diving into the forest, its hide like a blanket of onyx against the forest green. She couldn't see the shape of the creature as it moved too fast for her to catch, but her breath was stolen away anyways.  
She lingered only a moment, deciding if she wanted to give chase to the creature she saw before feeling her veela tug towards the forest, its own interest peaked as well.  
For the second time that day, Fleur reacted without thinking and took off down the tower and into the forest. Once she left the stone pathway, her heels sunk into the soft ground and Fleur took them off to store them in her bag and continue on foot.  
The soft ground underfoot made her progression silent and swift. Her veela spurred her on, its natural instincts kicking in as she padded through the dark forest silently, hunting for the prey she had only caught a glimpse of.  
Fleur felt herself slowly ease into her veela, a sensation she had never experienced before as any other time the veela had opted to try for control it was violent and in her mind a jerking switch. It made her scared most the time, the harsh contrast that came in her mind when she gave into her Being, but this time it was different. Instead of the sudden sensory overload, Fleur watched in amazement as every color become sharper to her eyes. As the twisting bark on the ancient trees became detailed pieces of art. She slowly noticed the different scents of the forest, from the musty decaying leaves under her feet, the wood smells coming from the trees themselves, to even the smell of horse flesh and man sweat intermingling. And then there was the magic she felt.  
Fleur had always been told about the magic in the earth and how she could connect to it if she just sat patiently, but she never felt it so strongly as she did then. The magic of the forest rushed to meet her and surged up her through her feet. It danced with her own magic before seeming to sense her purpose and darted off in a new direction. She instantly followed it, her veela knowing the forest was aiding them in their hunt and showing them the way.  
She then felt a lazy ache in her muscles, an ache she knew that would only be relieved if she ran. So she did.  
She started slow, some part of her worried she may pull something, but with her veelas urges she gained pace and began to run quickly. Fleur hated running in all honesty. It wasn't lady like or elegant and left her sore for days, but this time. This time it felt different, as if running was now directly related to breathing and her body was gasping for breath.  
Trees flew by her at quickening progression as she ran deeper and deeper into the forest, a magical trail laid at her feet and leading her to her target. She felt the forests magic begin to pulse under her, gaining tempo as she ran on and telling her veela she was getting closer. She quickened her pace again, running at full speed as she darted through the forest. She became a blur of silver and blue, with two golden spheres trained ahead. The golden eyes that were tell tale signs of a veela.  
A new scent came to Fleurs nose; Hide, a natural musk, something spicy, and blood. The scent excited her veela as it knew they were encroaching on their prey.  
With a final leap, Fleur jumped over a tall hedge that had been blocking her sight and was surprised when behind it was a ten foot drop into a small field with a river. Landing hard on her feet, Fleur quickly scanned the area and found herself disappointed.  
The clearing was empty but not without signs of life. The ground was packed down with odd prints left in it. If the indentations were any clue, her prey was about as large as a clydesdale horse but definitely heavier. It was definitely taloned as there were large gashes in the ground and surrounding trees and walked on four legs but dragged something one its sides and behind it.  
It obviously was a carnivore if the small pile of large and decaying corpses were anything to go by. Hesitantly moving to the pile to investigate, she noted that this creature had to have short and sharp teeth as most of the muscle left on the corpses were cut cleanly but shallowly. She also noted that this creature had to have an extremely powerful jaw when she saw a femur the size of her arm snapped in half.  
Gulping a little as she tried to imagine what creature she was stalking, Fleur felt a ball of fear settle in her stomach. She swallowed it down though, and looked for any signs as to where the creature could have gone.  
There were no such signs however, and fleur could no longer feel the forests energy. Sighing in frustration, Fleur considered the whole chase a waste of time when she heard a twig snap in the brush above her as someone jumped down into the clearing as she had.  
Still attuned to her Veela, fleur crouched low and felt her magic dance in her hand to summon a flame as she stared down the person who had his wand trained directly at her. They stayed that way for a few seconds, fleur watching the man before her and his emerald eyes scanning the clearing. Finally he lowered his wand and Fleur felt her veela huff as it retreated back into the depths of her mind. Its sudden departure left her weak and feeling dazed as all her senses lost their edge and became mundane again. Unable to hold her magic in her hand without her wand, fleur stopped the spell and righted herself stiffly. Every muscle in her body hurt and she felt a dense fog fill her head, robbing her of her higher thinking.  
“What are you doing so far into the forest?” the boy Fleur now recognized as Alex Syces asked. There was an odd look in his eye, as if he was searching for something in her. Fleur didn't answer but instead motioned to the clearing behind her.  
“I was tracking.” she answered truthfully and tiredly before noticing a flash in the boys eyes.  
“Well stop and never do so again.” he commanded, a hard edge in his voice as he pocketed his wand and marched over to her. She barely noticed her Veelas low growl but her mind was too clouded after her intense run to really notice.  
“Mithandi is dangerous and would likely kill you the second she saw you.” Alex commented as he checked for any sign that the beast had been by recently.  
“Mithandi?” Fleur asked, the name being completely foreign to her. The name felt heavy on her tongue but a sent a shock through her as she now had a name for the creature she had been hunting. Alex gave her a contemplating look before motioning for a patch of vines growing down a sections of the wall that surrounded them.  
“I'll only explain if you follow me back to the castle.” he negotiated. Torn between feeling that she couldn't trust the man, her sudden realization that she did need a guild back to the castle as she was too weak to cast any sort of spell, and her general curiosity for the creature she had hunted; Fleur hesitated before following the boy to the vines. She was shocked when Alex pulled the vines aside to reveal a narrow and steep path back up to the forests ground level.  
He motioned for her to go first but when she stayed rooted in place, he decided otherwise and start climbing. The path out of the clearing was short but taxing as it was very steep. Alex had to pause when he reached the top to help pull her up the last bit before motioning her to follow him. Which she did hesitantly at first. Slowly walking through the trees, Fleur tried to feel the magic she had felt earlier and found her attempts were only making her more exhausted. Eventually she stopped entirely, which was when Alex began to speak as promised  
“I can't tell you what Mithandi is, only that she is the apex hunter of the forbidden forest.” Alex began as he followed memorized paths back to the castle with Fleur following him more closely now so she could hear what he said.  
“Normally she doesn't travel so close to Hogwarts but something has driven her out of her den and brought her too close to Hogwarts.” He explained as he paused to scan the forest before continuing.  
“Is your school no longer safe because of her?” Fleur asked, a little worried now that the she knew the Beauxbaton carriage was so close to this hunter.  
“The school is safe, i assure you. and we of the DA were assigned to ensure such. We are also tackling the task of finding out what has driven Mithandi away and getting rid of it so she can return to her den.” He assured Fleur. “We are also are trying to track her movements to keep her from getting to close to the school. But she's smart and is proving difficult to follow, even for us with the centaurs help. So Dumbledore put several enhancements in place last summer, sort of like see me not charms. And they are working well as she hasn't ventured closer since but if she caught sight or smell of you, you could unintentionally lead her straight to us.”  
Alex stopped his march to stare Fleur down, his gaze unyielding.  
“So I must insist that you do not do this ever again. There is too much risk and you are not trained to handle her.” he demanded, the auror Fleur felt the first time she saw him bearing down on her.  
Too tired to fight, even though her veela wanted to protest, Fleur nodded her understanding obediently. They stared each other down, Alex looking for signs of dishonesty and Fleur to proud to look away, before he nodded and pointed behind him.  
“The castle is just around the bend. Go back to your classmates and don't mention a thing i've said to any of them. we don't need a panic over something being handled.” He instructed. Fleur simply agreed and started for the castle and thus her bed.  
She was now far too exhausted to give this event much thought. But she had tomorrow to ponder this Mithandi and the call it gave that had Fleur's veela was itching to answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me a review guys and let me know what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

In the formal dining room of Delacour manor, leaning against the south facing wall under a window, was an extra dining chair with a slightly richer colored cushion on it then the rest of the set. Its vibrant coloring on the exposed side was due to the years of being faced down, protecting it from the inevitable sun bleaching the came with time and it's position. It would fade of course, like the others had, but until then it was a constant reminder to Fleur and Gabrielle to never lie to their mother again.   
Stepping beside the aforementioned chair, Fleur picked up the cushion and turned it over in her hand as she recalled one of the best and most horrifying days of her life. The day of the Quidditch World Cup . She could still see the ghost of a stain on the hidden underside, one that both Delacour girls had spent what felt hours trying to remove before being caught.   
Gabrielle had made this one just before the world cup. With the quick arrival of their distant relatives from Bulgaria , Fleur and those of age had a small drinking party in one of their family's magical and private conference rooms; in their slightly too over the top tent. The party's purpose was simple, get everyone in a good mood before the halftime show and ease the process of introducing the branch clan members of Bulgaria to their core clan members and eventual heir Apoline. Of the many drinks there were flowing that night, there were a few bottles of Fleur’s Grandmother's hand made wine, which was extremely delicious and one of France's most valuable exports.  
Feeling left out from such a momentous occasion Gabrielle had, of course, snuck into the room to enjoy a few party favors herself after supposedly being locked up in the study to do her daily coursework. The work never got done though, as Gabrielle was too busy enjoying the treats at her mother’s party. One of which was naturally a glass of her Grandmother's wine, which she stole away to the tents empty dining hall to try.   
Gabrielle hadn't been as sneaky as she thought however, as Fleur had noticed her sister early on and said nothing to let her have her fun until she saw her sister leave. Deciding to bring the girl some food before she made herself sick from the alcohol of the strong wine, Fleur tracked her down and caught the young girl by surprise. Which made a large amount of the wine spill on the chair and stained it.   
The girls had tried everything to remove it, Fleur had even tried her hand at a cleansing spell but the red blotch wouldn't come up. It was several minutes later when their mother had gone to look for her eldest that she found both of her girls huddled over the cushion, trying to come up with a good lie on how the stain came to be. Without a proper plan or agreed story however, the two girls quickly crumbled under their mother's scrutinizing gaze.   
Gabrielle was still grounded, and that had been why she was forbidden to come with Fleur to Hogwarts, while Fleur herself had yet to face her actual punishment. Although she was sure her punishment would be severely lightened after the events that led to her family being sent home two days early from the world cup.   
Sighing at that thought and deciding to push the memories away, Fleur put the cushion back in its place and regarded the manor wearily. Despite it being bright with natural light and familiar, a heavy gloom sat in the air. Nearly suffocating Fleur with anxiousness and the sense of dread.   
She had been woken by an overly bright light shining in her eyes on her favorite leather chaise lounge chair in the library. Initially Fleur felt grateful to be home and content to sit in the warm sunlight and enjoy the hollow silence of the house, but it wasn’t long before she began to feel that there was something wrong about the manor.   
Everything was where it was supposed to be and in the condition she recalled it and yet it still felt wrong. As if there was an eminent threat hiding just outside her vision, awakening the primal fear within her that came with the sense of being hunted. Hunted in the one place in the whole world she was supposed to be safe.  
Swallowing the hard lump in her throat, Fleur felt rather then saw a ripple slowly move through the manor. It made her jump and palm for her wand when she realized that she didn’t have her handy tool. Cursing her foolishness, she waited to see if anything had stirred in the familiar room when she first heard it.  
It was a hauntingly beautiful voice singing in a language that felt familiar but also foreign, like something you should know that just kept eluding you until you gave up. The voice reverberated through the very walls, as if the solid structure was actually a tool to carry the sound. While the dark but hypnotic tune called out to her to follow, it also made her heart stop in fear every time she heard it.  
The words would wash over her and seize her every nerve until it would stop suddenly. As if the one who uttered them was unable to continue the tune. It was only after a few minutes of silence that Fleur would start to move, trying to find her wand while being cautious to avoid the mysterious singer.   
Fleur slowly searched every room in the manor for her wand and found that her search was coming up fruitless. She was left with no choice but to leave the empty dining room and carefully approach the one room she wanted to run from the most.   
The sun room was the one place in the whole house that she felt her whole body was both drawn to and repulsed by. It was a conflicting feeling, but her curiosity was winning out despite the paralyzing fear crawling across her body.  
With slow and deliberate steps, Fleur came to the door she sought and found the whole hall was beginning to be overrun by flora of all kinds. It crawled from under the white French doors, with their stained glass panes, and scaled the walls down the hall. Fleur couldn’t see past the doors as the brightest light she had ever experienced was shining into the hall, through the doors. It turned the hall a dozen different colors and Fleur felt her fear settle in her feet, practically melding them to the floor.  
Heart pounding in her throat, Fleur felt the manor ripple again and held her breath as she waited for the singing to start again. What she did not expect however, was for a large shadow to slowly began to appear on the other side of the door and glide by as if crossing the room.   
If she wasn’t so terrified, Fleur might have actively noticed how that the figures form was tall and thin but her normally sharp mind came to a grinding halt in fear as the shadow stopped and turned towards her, as if sensing her presence. Through the stained glass, Fleur saw a pair of golden glowing eyes narrow at her as what appeared to be a clawed hand stretched out slowly for the handle. Fleur watched helplessly as the metal piece turned slowly, her panic making her sweet and shake terribly as she stared into obscured gold eyes but she could not run now. It would only start the hunt over and she was too proud to be hunted.   
Her breathing stopped completely when she heard the handles mechanisms retreat from the door frames. Something was tugging on her navel as the door slowly swung open, or maybe her heart had fallen into her stomach, and Fleur's instincts begged her to run as the lights dimmed around her.   
Only when the door was fully open did she catch sight of the monster she had been cowering before and a gasp escaped her as she looked at the being before her. With the light directly behind the being, Fleur instantly became mesmerized by the one before her. The most beautiful woman she had ever seen.   
And that was a title that Fleur did not give easily, as she lived with partial Veela her whole life. But the woman before her made her mother and aunts look ordinary by comparison.  
The woman was tall and thin, her features beautifully chiseled and unnaturally perfect. Iridescent skin glowed soft and perfectly without the help of the backlight that illuminated an hourglass figure from within the simple blue robes. Long silver hair fell straight and cut at a single length, except for the woman's bangs that were just longer than her face, and collected on the floor like a waterfall and pool of liquid Mercury. Eyes the color of the finest gold were opened wide as dark pupils dilated and were framed by long and lush lashes that dusted the woman’s cheeks with every blink. Bright red and full lips were open in a shocked gasp before slowly giving way to a shy smile that light her whole face.  
“Hello Flower.” The woman said softly, her voice deep and soothing as if it the sound itself were the soft caress of velvet to the ear.   
While the sound was hypnotic to the senses however, Fleur knew something was off when she realized that while the actual sounds that had come out of the woman's mouth were different from what she had heard. she knew that what she heard was exactly what the woman meant however. The woman was speaking in a language Fleur had never heard before, and yet she understood it perfectly.   
Flabbergasted by this realization, Fleur could only stare on in shock as the woman smiled adoringly at her before feeling the manor jerk violently around her. Looking around in fear, Fleur held her ground and briefly wondered what was happening when the woman spoke again.  
“I’ve waited so long for you, but this meeting is being cut short. Find me again Flower. We will talk more than.” The woman said softly as Fleur gave her a confused look. She had so many questions for this woman. Who was she? Why was she there in her parents home? Why did she literally glow? Why was it that while the woman spoke in a language Fleur had never known, she understood her perfectly? Why did she scare her and make her feel protected all at once?  
Reaching out to try and grab the woman’s wrist and ask these questions, Fleur felt something beginning to pull her away by her feet. She tried to yell, to scream her questions, but she was mute here and the woman only smiled apologetically as Fleur was pulled away through the manor.   
As a distance was made between them, Fleur watched as the manor slowly disintegrated and became empty shadows around her. The bright light of the beautiful woman was swallowed by the blackness and Fleur felt it creeping around her to claim her as well. Soon darkness swallowed her and she thought herself lost to the endless void when she felt as if she was breaking the surface at long last.   
\---  
“Fleur!” She heard someone yell as she felt her consciousness fill her body again.   
It felt light but stiff, as if she had been laying in one position for way too long. Her senses noted that she was laying on a comfortable bed with warm blankets and the undeniable smell of antiseptic stung her nose. The room was light and bright, even behind closed eyes, and Fleur groaned at the idea of opening her eyes to something brighter. But then, in the back of mind, she caught a flash of a woman basking in pure light and her eyes shot open to try and catch a glimpse of the woman she thought she had seen.   
A mistake she paid dearly for.  
After blinking a few times to ease the sting in her eyes and allowing them to adjust, Fleur was shocked to find her cousin leaning over her. It wasn't that she was shocked to see Rachel, but she was shocked to see the terror in her eyes. Her heart clenched at her cousin's obvious fear and they both remained still for a moment before Fleur saw someone grab Rachel’s shoulder.  
“You'll bruise her.” a small and dreamy voice noted before Fleur followed the hand to its owner. Recognizing the peculiar girl who had joined Fleur and Rachel for breakfast on their first day, she gave the girl a confused look and only received a soft smile in return. It was then that Fleur felt a great weight lift off her arms and she looked to find Rachel slipping off her bed. Now that she thought about it, her cousin had been leaning over her as she forcibly held fleur down. But why?  
She didn't get to ask however as suddenly Madam Pomfrey and one of her interns from St. Margos rushed over and began to evaluate her. Knowing it was better to let the healers do their job, Fleur obliged every request and answered their questions while watching her cousin interact with the strange blonde.  
She noticed how the pair backed away after mentioning that Fleur had begun to thrash in her sleep when the healers rushed over to check her. She also noticed the blonde lightly touch her cousin's back by her shoulder blade and rub a soothing circle in it. She saw her cousin give the child a small and tired smile before the blonde said something to her. The smile faded and her cousin nodded before the girl skipped away. Literally.  
She wanted to give her cousin a questioning look but missed her chance when the healer turned her head to test her pupils reactions. The pair of healers then went through a few more tests to make sure she was okay when Madam Pomfrey handed Fleur her wand carefully.  
Feeling the smooth wood back in her hand brought her comfort and nostalgia. Studying the grain of the wood, Fleur saw another flash of her dream and clenched her wand before she felt a hand rest on her arm.  
“What?” she asked, looking up at her cousin. There was a hint of fear still in Rachel's eyes but her cousin did well to push it away.  
“She wants you to cast Lumos.” Rachel explained as she watched her cousin. Fleur returned the searching look for a moment before she broke eye contact and whispered the spell.   
As expected, a small light glowed at the end of her wand and everyone seemed to relax a little but Fleur found herself frowning. The spell was a simple and an easy one to master, most first years knew it before Christmas, and yet she felt the spell draining her. And if that wasn't confusing enough, the slight feeling of her magic being forced through her handy tool definitely was something she had never experienced before.  
She didn't get to ponder this long however, as the healer scribbled something down before asking Fleur to extinguish the light. Doing as asked, Fleur leaned back and closed her eyes tiredly to try and collect her thoughts.  
Why was she in the hospital wing? How had she gotten there? What was with that crazy dream? And why did her magic feel different?   
Not just from her wand but also within herself. Her magical core, which was normally a tight ball of controlled energy that she envisioned as a neat ball of twine, felt more like a chaotic tangled mess just skewed about. Frowning at the mental mess, Fleur tried to call her magic so she could straighten it but felt too much rush to meet her command than she wanted. So she stopped to prevent an accidental use of her magic and reassess.  
She was about to try again when a loud bang broke her from her meditative trance and she jumped up in her bed. Sitting up straight, Fleur instinctively reached for her wand but was glad she didn't have it when she saw Madam Maxime march up to her bed.  
Relaxing at the familiar face, Fleur noted that the Hogwarts Headmaster and Deputy Mistress were following a few steps behind the giantess. She also noticed that her aunt Teresa was bringing up the rear of the group with a slow and confident stride.  
Smiling sheepishly at the Veela, Fleur knew that she in real trouble now. Maxime had obviously contacted her family and the had sent Teresa to check on her.  
Teresa, like all Veela, was a stunningly beautiful woman who hailed from a small clan in Spain that surprisingly had no ties to the Delacour's before her marriage to Tempest. She was the dark to Tempest light, the yang to her yin, in everything from physical appearances to temperament. While Tempest was pale and slim with blonde hair and green eyes, Teresa was tan and well built with black hair and the Veelas signature gold eyes. While Tempest was the rebellious one of her sisters with an attitude to match her name, Teresa was quiet and of few words.   
She often reminded Fleur of a shadow. A very loving shadow who often watched over Fleur and Rachel as children.  
Fleur watched her aunt and cousin exchanged greetings before Teresa sat on Fleur’s bed to do the same.  
“How are you feeling?” Teresa asked, her voice gentle and smooth after a tight hug. Relaxing at the sound, Fleur hummed as she took an inventory of her body.  
“I feel fine. Just tired.” she answered earnestly. Getting an encouraging smile from her aunt, Fleur noticed a quick flicker in her aunt's eyes to the eavesdropping British wizards. Understanding the silent request, Fleur let the corner of her mouth drop for a millisecond before forcing it up again. She knew her aunt would understand the twitch.  
“I am glad. Maxime contacted us and said you had been unconscious for two days. What were you up to my child? Practicing charms until you fell over again?” her aunt asked teasingly.  
Trying not to flinch at her aunt's announcement of how long she had been unconscious, Fleur hummed in agreeance after a moment. She wanted to scoff in insult at her aunt's suggestion that she couldn't handle herself but she didn't in recognition of her aunt's attempt to supply her with a suitable answer for her temporary comatose.  
“I hope I don't come across as rude Mrs. Delacour, but you nieces state of magical exhaustion went well beyond a young student pushing their limits too far. Her magic was so depleted that it is only now refilling itself, after two days of rest and several potions.” The Hogwarts mediwitch interjected with a stern look. “The last time I saw such was during the last war when a woman had battled a death eater for a series of days.”  
A shocked silence fell over the group at Pomfrey's declaration and Fleur bite the inside of her lip subtly, trying to use the pain to clear her mind and come up with a more suitable answer for her condition.  
She knew better than to give the whole story. She would be admitting to going into the forbidden forest for one, which was forbidden as its name implied. For two, she would have to explain her tracking Mithrandi who she wasn't supposed to know about. And lastly, she honestly didn't have an answer for why she had passed out. The run shouldn't have been that exhausting to knock her unconscious for two days.  
And then there was the look her aunt had given her. One that promised they would talk but only when they were alone. Which meant she needed to get rid of the British wizards first.  
Deciding a partial truth would be enough to sate the British wizard curiosity, Fleur briefly reflected on how to tell her half truth. It had to be believable. Thinking quickly, Fleur decided to use her Veela heritage and its elusiveness to her favor.  
Giving a dramatic sigh, Fleur pretended to surrender to the groups scrutinizing gaze.  
“I was practicing an ancient Veela tradition. As a quarter Veela it is more taxing for me and I overstepped my boundaries.” She answered slowly, as if unsure of how much she could say and throwing her aunt a questioning glance for good measure.  
She wouldn't deny that she then gave the headmaster of Hogwarts a distrustful look, that she hoped others would chalk up as her being unwilling to share her people's traditions. But truth was; after the rumors she had heard of the dangers the students of this school had faced recently, the damage in the clearing that the forest had led her to, and Alex Syces warning of Mithrandi; Fleur couldn't bring herself to trust the old wizard before her.  
The two regarded each other closely and fleur did not dare to look away. It was odd though, the more she held the man's gaze the more his blue eyes stood out and the worst her head started to hurt. It wasn't until Fleur felt Teresa pinch the back of her hand that she felt she was able to look away and give her aunt an accusing look. The women's pointed look however made Fleur bow her head automatically.  
“You know you aren't to do such traditions away from home. Especially alone.” Her aunt scolded with a hint of disappointment. Unable to look up due to her aunt's tone, fleur simply hung her head before hearing Teresa sigh and feeling her stand.  
“Seeing as she is awake now, unharmed and quite safe, may we get her dressed so she may return to her normal activities?” Teresa demanded rather than asked the mediwitch.   
A silence fell over the group for a moment before the Pomfrey gave her consent that Fleur could leave but she was not to do any magic for three days to restore her magic fully. Agreeing to such, Fleur was given clothes to change into a closed the curtains around her to change. Her interest was caught however by the conversation on the other side.  
“I must insist Olympia, that you instruct all of your students to refrain from entering the Forbidden Forest. It is as its name implies, forbidden.” she heard the Hogwarts Deputy request.  
“Are you implying that my niece was disregarding rules and entered this forest?” she heard her aunt fire back. “and how would you know this?”  
Fleur froze as a very palpable tension hung in the air, which was expanding under the might and power of her aunt and the Deputy Mistress. She didn't need to be on the other side of the curtain to know the two women were squaring up for a knock down. It was the surprisingly gentle voice of Maxime that broke the tension.  
“It was I who saw Fleur return from the forest Teresa.” Maxime confessed as Fleur bit her lip and finished getting dressed.   
“I thought nothing of it at the time due to Fleur and Rachel's natural draw to the woods.” Maxime continued as Fleur resisted the urge to roll her eyes and tuned the adults out as she dressed.   
Like most Veela, Rachel was naturally drawn to the forest. She tried to explain once that the forest literally called to her but fleur did not believe such. For while Fleur found comfort in the quiet and solidity of the trees, she wasn't literally drawn like her cousin. Until two days ago at least.  
Recalling the events that had led to her mad dash through the woods, Fleur felt a jolt of electricity run up her spine and shivered involuntarily as goose bumps sprouted all over her arms. She could almost see the colors as clearly then as she had in the woods, could almost smell the forest scents under the sharp antiseptic.   
But just as quickly as the sensation took her, Fleur pushed the memories and the feelings away leaving her slightly out of breath and shaking.  
“Fleur. Are you finished?” Rachel called from the other side of the curtains.  
“Almost.” Fleur called as she forced herself to finish dressing despite her shakes. By the time she finished she was calm again and threw the changing curtains back just in time to see the Hogwarts professors leave. Madam Maxime quickly stepped forward, back to her normal professional self.  
“Rachel has collected notes from your teachers, so look them over and catch yourself up. You are free for the day to be with your aunt while she is here but I expect to see you at dinner.” Her headmistress commanded.  
“Yes ma’am.” Fleur answered with a quick curtsy. The half-giantess nodded before walking away, leaving the Veelas alone.  
“Let's find somewhere private.” her aunt suggested after a moment before leading the way out of the hospital wing. Silently following, Fleur tried to recollect herself now that she had a moment to herself to think. Problem was, she had no idea how to start sorting herself out.  
She had been in a light coma for two days after exhausting her magic to the point that she could have died. Her magical core was a disastrous mess that she couldn't even begin to figure out how to straighten. And she kept getting the feeling that she was supposed to be looking for something.  
And it all started when she ran into the forest.  
Recalling the memories that would forever be ingrained into her senses, Fleur felt her muscles ache again. As if begging her to take flight back into the forest to resume her hunt. She resisted such urges however as she knew she wouldn't escape trouble again if she disobeyed the rules. Still, she was restless.  
“Fleur.” her aunt called, stalling Fleur's train of thought as she realized she and Rachel had been drawn to an empty room somewhere within the castle.  
The room was dark and dusty with only one door and no windows. a small orb of gentle light, likely summoned by Teresa, illuminated the room filled with unused desks that had been pushed to one wall. A shimmer in the corner if her eye told fleur that privacy charms were in place to prevent eavesdropping and that she could now speak freely on what had happened two days earlier.  
About to explain to her aunt, Fleur was surprised to find said woman regarding her carefully. A studious look on her face as she stepped forward and grabbed Fleur's chin to force her face into the dim light. Shocked by the forceful actions, Fleur's eyes widened a bit as she felt her aunt's thrall stagnate around her.   
Normally Teresa was all warmth and silent support, her thrall a comforting blanket that laid just over Fleur and reminded her she was cared for. At that moment however, there was nothing. Nothing but the shock that flashed before her aunt's eyes just as she let Fleur's chin go.  
“You've finally done it haven't you? You've finally synergized with your Veela.” her aunt asked quietly, yet still demanding, as she took a step back out of Fleur's personal space.  
“W-What?” Fleur stammered, not used to her aunt being so forceful.  
“Fleur, your eyes were just gold.” Her aunt explained, a small smile appearing on her face despite Fleur's now very confused one.  
Her eyes were gold? But that wasn't possible. Her eyes were blue.  
“You've finally done it fleur!” her aunt exclaimed ecstatically. “You've finally closed that gap between you and your Veela. You'll be one of us now. Oh, this is wonderful!”  
“Congratulations Fleur!” Rachel quickly chimed in before giving her shocked cousin a hug. It took barely a second for Fleur to register what her aunt said before Fleur found herself pushing Rachel away to speak.  
“wait, what? What do you mean I'm one of you now? A Veela?” she accused before turning to give her aunt that same accusing look. When the woman didn't answer, she continued.   
“I am a Delacour, I've always been one of you!” Fleur insisted, some part of her pride stinging at that thought that her closest family didn't consider her part of them.  
Tension hung in the air between the three Veela before Teresa groaned and rubbed her temples.  
“I shouldn't. But she has to know and there is no one else here.” her aunt whispered to herself cryptically. Fleur was going to ask her aunt to explain herself when Rachel cut her off.  
“Come sit down Fleur.” Rachel motioned to a desk. “We have some explaining to do.”  
“Yes you do.” Fleur ground out, her temper flaring. To make her outrage known, Fleur refused to sit and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance as she watched Rachel convince her mother to let her explain everything to Fleur. Once the elder agreed, Rachel gave fleur her most sympathetic look before starting to explain.  
“Fleur. Do you know how Veela actually came to be?” Rachel asked tentatively.   
Annoyed by the random question, Fleur answered quickly and sharply.   
“We are the descendants of sirens. We left the oceans for the skies.” she began before pausing as Rachel shook her head.  
“That is what we allow wizards to believe Fleur but it isn't true. We are not the children of sirens.” Rachel explained.  
“Then where…” Fleur started before Teresa cut in with the answer.  
“Veela and sirens are actually half-sisters Fleur.” Teresa began before drawing up some of her magic to create an illusion and mold it into the shapes she desired.  
“Haven't you ever wondered why, although similar, Veela and sirens are opposites? Birds from fish. Fire creatures from water. Yes we both have a thrall. And yes we both have hybrid appearances of man and beast. But we are very different.” Teresa began as her magic leapt forward to form three distinct images.   
One came together to form the picture of a dark but beautifully seductive woman with long flowing silver hair and white eyes. Another part formed into a woman with short green curly hair and cruel grey eyes. While the last formed into a young and naïve looking girl with gently waving golden hair and eyes.  
Enchanted by the images before her, Fleur felt her anger slip away as she listened.  
“it is believed that when the world was still young and magic at its strongest that the gods of this world could walk among the mortals.” Rachel began, reciting the story she herself had only been told a few years before but knew by heart.  
“Every creature on this planet, from humans to elves to goblins, were made by the chaotic clashing of the gods energy and magic. Sirens were created when the cruel lady of the seas and the lady of the moon were at war with each other and their blood dripped into the seaweed below.” Rachel explained as her mother illustrated. As the green haired woman and the dark woman both appeared beaten and bloodied in the midst of a magical duel, the illusion followed their mixing blood as it rolled away from the gods clash to drip down into seaweed below. Sirens sprung forth as each drop fell, born from the moon's beautiful allure and the oceans cruelty.  
Fleur stepped forward to watch the story more intently.  
“But such clashes were not always in adversary.” Rachel continued. “Some were in mutual attraction and understanding.”  
Suddenly the duel was over and young girl of gold was beside the battered dark haired woman, helping her heal as songbirds brought her healing herbs.  
“Veela are said to be the product of the lady moon and the lady of the forest. Made by a mutual attraction, they were born into this world similarly a normal Veela child is.” Rachel explained as the two images of the women kissed and blended together until a new being was made. One that looked eerily familiar to Fleur and made her shiver involuntarily.  
“What does this have to do with me not being one of the family until now?” Fleur asked, her eyes narrowing at the image of the woman she had seen in her dreams. The image seemed to smile softly at her before dissolving away to leave the three Delacour's in the abandoned classroom alone.  
“Veela can only be female Fleur.” Rachel started slowly, knowing it was best to give a full explanation. “This wasn’t even considered an issue until grandmother took a wizard as her mate. Suddenly the clan couldn’t be as open about our customs and traditions as it had been. Not everyone in the clan was a Veela. So the elders decided on a caste system for the clan. There are those who are Veela and those who are not.”  
“This worked for a while. But then came those with partial Veela blood like you mother and aunts.” Teresa added, cutting Fleur off before she could raise a complaint. “For years the elders weren’t sure which group to put Apoline and her sisters in as they occasionally showed signs of being like the other Veela children but still held too many human traits as well. For years your mother and aunts were left in the dark about nearly all Veela traditions as was ordered by the clan elders.”  
“Wait.” Fleur finally cut in, her outrage that such a system existed just under the surface of her family.  
“Grandmother is the clan head. How can the clan elders decide something like that for her husband and daughters? Couldn’t she override their decision? Why didn’t she?” She asked confused. True, she didn’t know her grandmother too well but the most powerful woman in her family couldn’t be so discriminatory to her own blood. Could she?   
She had gifted Fleur her first wand, one that held a strand of her own hair in it as a core. One that had always served her faithfully. One that until this morning had never felt wrong in her hand.   
Teresa gave her young niece a sympathetic look for the confusion that was written all over her face. To be so young and naïve to the world.  
“In an ideal world yes Fleur. But the real world does not work that way. Many clan members were angry when their clan leader brought a human into our forests. Angrier when she carried his children and demanded they be treated the same as the other Veela children.” Teresa began, recalling old memories of the talks of war within the Veela community.  
“A full on civil war almost began in the Delacour Clan but the elders came up with the current system as a compromise. Children born into the Delacour family but were not Veela, could still be part of the clan. they just wouldn’t hold the same rank.” Rachel continued  
“Or have the right to know as much as those of higher rank.” Fleur finally understood.   
Her clan, her family, was divided into two groups. Those who were considered Veela and thus allow to know the system was in place and know their people's culture and those who were not. Those like herself who they thought were too human. Those like her sister who was too young to see if the Veela blood would manifest. And those like her father and male cousins. The ones who would never know what was really going on because they were not Veela.  
“That's so fucked up.” Fleur cursed. Never before had she felt so disgusted with her family.  
“It’s the safest way Fleur.” Teresa reasoned.  
For WHO? Fleur internally screamed, but the words never left her throat.   
As if sensing her inner burst, the trio fell into an uncomfortable silence. Two waited for the inevitable outburst while the last reevaluated every memory she had of her family and how they interacted. She could now read between the lines and see the hidden discrimination. She could feel the anticipating gazes of her family in the past, waiting to see if she would be like them.  
“What changed?” Fleur asked quietly as she kept her head bowed. She needed to know what she had done to change. Maybe then she could look for the signs in Gabrielle and spare her this realization.  
“Why are you telling me this now?” Fleur asked as she numbly regarded her aunt and cousin.  
The two exchanged a worried look, concerned over Fleur's sudden change in demeanor.  
“Your whole life, you've felt and heard the Veela in your head right?” Rachel asked before getting a slow nod in response.  
“Well that's something only partial bloods like us do. Feel the Veela as a separate entity within us. Still part of us but not the same.” Rachel started. “But that's starting to change. You and your Veela came together once.”  
Fleur's eyes widened as she recalled the forest. The rush of magic she felt from the forest, how it just knew what she wanted, how her body had felt better but different.   
The call to hunt Mithrandi hit Fleur then like a ton of bricks and her body seized, caught between wanting to run to the dark forest and wanting to avoid it as well.  
“Easy Fleur.” Teresa said soothingly as she guided Fleur to a chair. Slowly falling into the chair, Fleur managed to regain control of herself and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.  
"Easy there." Her aunts thrall settle over Fleur like an old comforting blanket. "Now that you and you Veela have come together once, she will try to do such often. And as long as you don't fight it, you will become one. A true Veela."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! Here is the latest chapter! I hope you all enjoy! Please read and comment what you think.

The clouds that shielded the heavens above her were dark and heavy with either rain or snow that had yet to actually fall. There were no distant rumbles of thunder or flashes of lightning. Just constant bleakness and the anticipation of some form of precipitation that was undoubtedly going to befall the Scottish school at some point. The weather cast a dark and eerie feeling about the castle, making it feel colder and more uninviting than the day the delegations had first arrived.  
Or that was how it felt for Fleur at least. The bleak, overhanging, and depressing atmosphere of Hogwarts was the perfect compliment to Fleur’s mood.  
Tucked away in her recently claimed tree, Fleur absently watched the chaotic tumble of a leaf as if slowly fell to the ground. To an outsider she was sharp and focused, watching the leaf with complete concentration. But inside, she was a prisoner to her own mind and the war that was being fought just under the surface.  
Split down the middle, Fleur was grappling with the emotions that had been tangling her up since she woke from her coma the other day. On one hand she could understand why her clan had made its decision, but on the other hand she couldn't swallow the idea. There simply had to be a better way.  
Fleur was so caught up in her own musing that she almost missed the small popping sound of a house elf who had joined her for lunch. Almost.   
Smiling down at Dobby, Fleur quickly descended from her tree and landed gracefully on her feet.  
“Hello Dobby.” she greeted cheerfully.  
“Good afternoon Miss.” the house elf responded back as he set their lunch tray down on the bench. Today's lunch was rather simple, a few hearty sandwiches and some fruit salad with a light tea.  
Sitting on the bench, Fleur carefully picked up a sandwich and presented it to the elf as she had the past few days prior. She saw the elf’s complaint rise to his face, as he had told her repeatedly that he brought the food for her, but he simply sighed in defeat and accepted the sandwich. Once he took a big bite of it, Fleur smiled at the little elf and picked up a sandwich for herself. Biting into it, she didn't taste much but she continued to eat anyways since Dobby had been going through the trouble of finding her every lunch period and bringing her food.  
Something she was grateful for too, because until she could get her own emotions under control Fleur had been avoiding her cousin and skipping lunch.  
“Is miss excited for tonight?” The small elf suddenly asked as he folded his legs under him to sit on the ground and taking another bite of his sandwich.  
Quirking a brow at the elf, Fleur swallowed her bite and wiped a crumb from her lip with her thumb before she answered.  
“Excited?” She asked, not following the elfs logic. “What is tonight?”  
The elf gave Fleur a shocked look before schooling his features.  
“For the champion selection miss. It is tonight.” Dobby clarified with a hint of disbelief in his voice. Understanding, Fleur hid her shock at the fact that she forgot that tonight was indeed the champion selection and considered the selection for Beauxbaton.  
While the twenty or so students that had come to Scotland had all been Beaubaxton’s best, there were only three students who were considered the elite of the elite and were always in competition for the top spot in the school. There was Fleur herself who, academically, was the most proficient in all studies but her practicums. Then there was her cousin Rachel who, while academically gifted, didn’t score as high as Fleur on written tests but excelled in practicums and had some of the highest scores in recent Beaubaxton’s history. And then there was Samantha Martin. Samantha did not score as high as Fleur and Rachel on written tests or practicums but she did score highly on both parts of the exams that made her overall scores a real competitor to the Delacour cousins position at the top of the class.  
A title that changed hands almost weekly.  
“It would be a great honor to be selected.” Fleur admitted diplomatically, knowing that she had a very good chance for being selected as champion and that this official selection may very well prove who is the best student at Beauxbatons. The title of Triwizard Champion would also give her a major boost for jobs in the near future and hopefully bring a great sense of pride to her clan and any other partial-being who may be doubting themselves.  
“A great many honors miss. For the chosen and their house.” Dobby agreed with an excited nod of his head.  
“What would miss do if selected?” The elf asked, his energy boundless in excitement for the upcoming events.  
Smirking at the elf’s enthusiasm, Fleur considered the possibility. Her prideful nature told her it would only be natural for her to be selected but with recent events and her latest inability to fully control her magic made her very much doubt she would be selected.  
“It's a tournament Dobby. My strengths lie in my knowledge and not necessarily in my ability to perform.” Fleur admitted darkly. “Rachel is far more likely. Her magic is stronger, more stable, and she has a far greater skill set.”  
A little disheartened by her admission, Fleur took another bite of her sandwich to drive her depressing thoughts away before checking on the elf. She was more than a little shocked to find Dobby giving her the most disbelieving look she had seen on his face yet.  
“What?” Fleur asked, unsettled by the elf’s reaction to her assessment. Dobby quickly collected himself and blushed at the fact that he had openly reacted too excessively.  
“Forgive me miss. Dobby just thinks miss thinks too lowly of herself.” The elf explained.   
Raising a brow at his explanation, Fleur didn’t quite agree but she was willing to let it go when the elf continued anyways.   
“Dobby doesn't think the goblet chooses base on grades miss. Surely the goblet chooses the best witch or wizard with the most potential. And with Miss’ magic having grown stronger recently, much more than the others, Dobby thinks miss has a good chance of being chosen.”  
Fleur perked up a bit at Dobby's words, her pride swelling as she dared to agree with him. Maybe she did have a chance to be selected, it would only be natural. She was a direct heir to her family's monarchy and she wasn't hopeless in her studies. Smiling at the elf who had unknowingly boosted her confidence, Fleur went to thank him but was cut off when the bell for class rang. Dobby immediately jumped to his feet and snapped his fingers to wrap the sandwiches in a cloth and send the tray back down to the kitchen. Gently handing the package off to Fleur, her gratitude was left unspoken as the unlikely two made their way to Fleur’s class and parted with the promise to meet for lunch again on Monday.  
Walking into her class, Fleur quickly set her bag down by her desk and pulled her wand out to prepare for the class. She really did hate practicums and the half crazed teacher of this particular subject was unpleasant at best. The fact that they would be practicing legilimency only made Fleur more uncomfortable as she had yet to fully get a grasp on her magic since awakening in the hospital wing.   
While on the surface she had her magic under control, under the surface her magic was just as wild and disorganized as when she woke. It wouldn’t behave as she wanted and fought her when she tried to untangle it. Which forced Fleur to work with what she could organize and control. A mear third of her full potential.  
Sighing out loud, Fleur gave her cousin a small nod from across the room before the teacher came barging in to start the class.  
\---  
By the time dinner finally rolled around Fleur had a pounding headache. It had turned out that Veela had a natural mental barrier from Occlumency to protect their secrets. That however hadn’t stopped the lunatic teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts from fully testing said barriers and making Fleur feel like there was an ice pick wedged in her brain.  
Then during her free time Fleur had to run away to the Hogwarts library to avoid her cousin and start working on her pile of homework. Sadly though, the library seemed to be covered in a thick layer of dust that made her sneeze multiple times and made her headache worst. And then there was the drooling boys and the hateful glares of the girls making the hairs on the back of neck stand up. It was almost a godsend when the bell rang and Fleur left the stifling room to eat.   
Entering the hall Fleur quickly found her place at the end of the Ravenclaw table where she could be alone. Sadly however, her solace was short lived as her classmates filled in around her. Feeling the pounding of her head worsen at the heavy scent of pumpkin spice and feeling trapped by the unwanted company, Fleur groaned in frustration. Rubbing her temples to try and relieve some of the pain, Fleur was interrupted when a cup of steaming tea was set down in front of her by the peculiar blond that had been hanging around Rachel as of late.  
“Its green tea. Good for relieving headaches.” The blonde explained cheerfully as she sat to Fleurs right while Rachel sat to her left. Giving her cousin a small but polite nod, Fleur sipped the tea and felt the tension starting to melt away.   
“Thank you...” Fleur started tensely before realizing that she had never gotten the blond’s name before.  
“Luna Lovegood.” The girl offered before extending her hand.  
“Fleur Delacour.” Fleur answered as she returned the handshake out of courtesy before gesturing to Rachel behind her. “That one's cousin.”  
Luna smiled at the small jab as Rachel gave her a charming smile and nodded slowly. Soon the last of the students filled the hall and Dumbledore called the beginning of the feast. The students ate quickly and excitedly, no doubt eager for the selection.  
Fleur however, took her time to ease off her headache and savor the food the house elves had undoubtedly slaved to make. It was while eating the Fleur got the sense that she was being watched intensely and her Veela instincts were going mad at the thought of a silent hunter watching her so closely.  
Feeling her anger mounting and unwilling to be subtle in her short temper, Fleur gave the hall a sweeping look with glowing blue eyes. Seeking out whoever was so bold as to dare to challenge her.   
No one meet her eyes at the green or yellow tables and only Luna and Rachel were paying her any mind at their table, so Fleur's eyes swept down the rambunctious red table until she finally found her quarry. Hermione Granger, the younger girl of the D.A. who had been missing for a few days, was staring at Fleur openly and without hesitation. When their eyes connected, neither looked away and the two stared each other down.   
Fleur felt her Veela relax into the gaze instead of getting more anxious by the obvious challenge. Curious by its reaction, she didn’t have time to ponder it as the brunettes attention was drawn away by one of her classmates. Effectively breaking eye contact with Fleur.  
Feeling a little disappointed first in the loss of the girls attention, Fleur found herself becoming annoyed at the uncharacteristic response. She was Fleur Delacour for Merlin's sake!   
She was cold and standoffish. She didn't act this way around anyone for any reason and she wasn't going to start now. Disregarding what had transpired as if was of no concern to her, Fleur returned to the meal in front of her. She was just finishing when she noticed Luna give the young red head girl by the D.A. trio a small wave.   
Now that her headache had subsided with the consumption of food, Fleur felt less hostile and was instead intrigued to know that her cousins newest friend had a connection to the girl who had been openly staring at her the whole meal.  
“Do you know them?” Fleur asked softly. Luna hummed a bit as she swallowed her last sip of tea before answering.  
“Not so much Ron and Harry. We’ve never been introduced. But I do know Hermione from a study group we had last year. And Ginny, Ron’s little sister, I’d like to think she’s a friend.” Luna admitted happily.  
Fleur made a small humming sound that was laced with her discontent with the group. She almost missed the dreamy blond’s quirked brow at her statement and felt the need to elaborate.  
“Your classmates don't speak highly of them.” Fleur explained ignoring the tension growing beside her. “They seem to have a pension for trouble and rule breaking. They'll only hurt you if you get close.”  
Rachel shifted uncomfortably beside Fleur, recognizing that the aura surrounding Luna was not a friendly one. Even if it did still have an otherworldly feel to it.  
“One would think that a witch of Veela decent would know that no one is ever as they seem.” The youngest blonde said stiffly before getting up from her seat and walking over to the red table to sit with the group Fleur had just scrutinized.   
Taken back, Fleur watched the girl leave in shock before turning to her cousin with an angry and confused look. Rachel chose to take a long sip from her cup rather than answer Fleur’s unspoken question. It was only when she emptied her cup that Fleur spoke.  
“Am I wrong?” She demanded to know. Rachel merely shrugged off her answer as more tension fell between the two. Fleur waited for her cousin to give in and answer but when it became obvious she wouldn't, Fleur pushed her food aside and brooded in her seat.  
She didn't think her warning was unkind or unwarranted. After all, several of the D.A.’s own classmates were weary of the group. Why would it be wrong of her to relay a sentiment that the school already had?  
But what Luna said did strike a cord with Fleur. Veela were often misunderstood or misrepresented in wizarding society. Which was very frustrating for partial veelas like Fleur and Rachel who had to live in both the worlds of Veela and wizards alike. How many times had Fleur herself snapped at purist for his assumptions of her intentions? How many times had she overheard gossip and snide remarks that Fleur and Rachel’s grades were awarded to them for less than honorable reasons?  
Sighing as some part of her conceded to Lunas point, Fleur pushed her food around on her plate until it disappeared and the tension in the room shot up to an all time high. Every student in the hall sat excited at the edge of their chair as Dumbledore stood and approached the Goblet of Fire. Including Fleur who suddenly found herself wondering just who would be selected for the tournament.   
“If my calculations are correct, then the goblet requires a few minutes more before making it's selections. First, a few instructions.” Started Dumbledore.  
“Those selected to represent their schools shall come forward when their name is called and exit out the door to the left of the teachers table. The hallway will lead you to the trophy room, where you shall wait for instructions on the first task. But now…” the old man trailed off before dramatically waving his hand across the room, dimming the lights.   
No sooner than went the last candle dimmed did the fire within the goblet turn red. It flickered quietly for a moment, louder then any breath in the room, before giving a large poof as it spat out a piece of charred paper.   
Catching it nimbly, Dumbledore turned the paper over as Fleur leaned forward in her chair, suddenly as nervous and eager as all the students surrounding her.   
“The Durmstrang champion is…” Dumbledore paused again and Fleur relaxed a little as it wasn't her school. “Viktor Krum!”  
The cheers the erupted around the room were deafening as the Durmstrang students and quidditch fans both showed their approval of the selection. The young seeker walked up a column of excited students before shaking hands with his headmaster and disappearing through the door Dumbledore had mentioned.   
As soon as the door closed, the hall went completely silent again as hundreds of eyes trained onto the goblet of fire. The hall was silent for a few beats as everyone held their breath to hear the next name. Then, without warning, the fire changed color again and shot another piece of paper high into the air.   
Seeing the standard Beauxbaton blue on the paper, Fleur knew this was her schools delegate and straightened in her seat as much as she could. Dumbledore caught the paper with ease and turned it over to read the name as Fleur's heart increased it's tempo.  
She recalled her conversation with Dobby earlier that day, and despite knowing that it was unlikely that her name would be called, she still sent a silent prayer that she could honor her family and clan by being selected.  
“The Beauxbaton Champion is…” Dumbledore trailed off as the hall leaned in more to hear the name.  
Fleur's heart was pounding now. She told herself it would say Rachel but some part of her knew that she would never be accepted as a future leader of her clan if she couldn't prove she was a better witch than her cousin. And this tournament was the perfect way to do it.   
Holding her breath, Fleur pleaded to whichever god was listening that she be offered this chance to prove to herself and show the clan just what she was capable of.   
“Fleur Delacour!” the grey wizard shouted enthusiastically.  
The hall erupted in cheers again, mostly from the British students, as Fleur paused a second to wonder if she had heard right. When no one else immediately stood to claim the title of champion, Fleur knew she had heard right and smiled in delight as she stood up. She gracefully began her journey to the room Krum had disappeared into, stopping briefly to shake Dumbledore and Maxime’s hands, but paused just before the teachers table when she saw a small elf stick his head out from underneath and give her a thumbs up.  
Smiling genuinely at Dobby, Fleur could practically hear the little elf say he told her she was too hard on herself before he snapped his fingers and disappeared.   
Fleur passed through the door Krum had disappeared into with a wide and brilliant smile that faded the moment the door closed firmly behind her. She could no longer hear the hall just on the other side of the wooden slab as she carefully descended the stairs as instructed and thought to herself.  
She was still mildly shocked that her name had in fact come out of the goblet, but a smaller part of her swelled in pride at the fact that it had and now she had the opportunity to prove that she had earned the title of champion.   
Another part of her was scared however of what this meant. Her magical core was still in discord unlike her fellow competitors who would undoubtedly be in their peak condition. If she didn’t change the status of her magic soon, she would be at a disadvantage.   
And then there was the fact that actually doing the magic she set out to do wasn’t her strongest suit. She was more confident in herself when it came to the theoretical.  
Not that I can’t put magic to use. Fleur thought as she reached the bottom of the stairs. It just seems to come more naturally to others.  
As Fleur reached for the doorknob she felt a strong emotion roll through her that she recognized as coming from her veela. It was difficult to pinpoint exactly what her being side was trying to say to her, so Fleur paused and closed her eyes to focus on the veela nature within her.   
Her veela brought her pride in her being selected and almost a touch of arrogance, as if it could have been anyone else it seemed to ask with a scoff. It had no time to worry of the trails of the others as it felt only the need to succeed for itself. And they would succeed if Fleur herself believed in herself. In fact, that seemed to be what Fleur’s veela was most trying to impart on her. She would succeed if she believed she could and would fail if she thought she should.  
Such a concept was a little overwhelming for the seventeen year old. That the outcome of this very dangerous tournament that she had volunteered to be a part of would depend solely on how much she believed she could win it. But that also meant that there was hope for her.  
Clinging to that hope, Fleur took a deep breath before entering the trophy room with a hard push on the door.   
It swung open easily and the sight of the semi dark room with glittering awards of gold and silver made for a rather interesting scene. On one hand she could feel the pride of the school and its accomplishments, but as an foreigner in this school Fleur could feel the intimidation the host school was obviously trying to subtly instill.   
Giving the room a sweeping glance, Fleur notice a slightly shocked Bulgarian standing by the fireplace. No doubt Krum understood that she was now one of the competitors of the tournament and he gave a stoick nod to acknowledge her place before turning back to the fire and staring into it.   
Deciding the enter the room fully, Fleur noted an empty chair with its back to said fire but on the opposite side of where Krum stood and quickly claimed it for herself so not to appear nervous. Her nerves must have been worse then she anticipated however as soon she was fidgeting with her uniform when the door she had entered moments before opened again.  
Looking up, Fleur wasn’t surprised that Krum and her had now been joined by a Hogwarts student. One wearing the yellow and grey colors of one of the houses of the host school.   
Trying to quickly analyze the boy still standing in the doorway, Fleur really couldn’t read much from him except that the boy was practically vibrating with excitement. He gave them both a quick hello before confidently walking forward into the room.  
Fleur gave a quick hello in response as Krum nodded once to his fellow competitor.  
“I’m Cedric by the way. Cedric Diggory.” The boy introduced himself good naturally as he leaned on a trophy case closer to Fleur.  
“I already know both of your names so you don't have to introduce yourselves. I’m just glad I was selected to compete.” Cedric rambled.   
He continued on his one sided conversation without Fleur or Krum needing to prompt him and Fleur could tell that his rambling and stiff body posture were both signs of how nervous the cheerful Hogwarts student really was. Fleur also noted that Cedric was obviously the type to befriend anyone if the ease in which he greeted them was any indication and he obviously felt the intrinsic need to fill the silence Fleur and Krum had settled in.  
Letting Cedric ramble, Fleur tried to read the other occupant of the room more thoroughly now that they were close without being too obvious about it.   
Glancing to her left Fleur caught sight of Krum staring intently into the fire, the arm he had resting against the mantle ending in a fist that was resting just over his lips. He was obviously the strong and silent type as he had yet to say anything to either of them. But Fleur could tell from how ridge he stood and how he occasionally rubbed his fist across his jaw that he was nervous too.   
It gave Fleur a little reassurance that she wasn’t the only one scared at this point but she couldn’t help but wonder if her own nerves were just as obvious as the other twos. Deciding to not be like them, Fleur did her best to relax in the chair she resided in as she and the others waited for further instructions.  
The group didn’t have to wait long however as soon the door was opening again and in stumbled a very pale Harry Potter with the most crushing look on his face, clutching a small piece of charred paper. By his face alone, Fleur knew something was very wrong and her gut clenched painfully in foreboding.  
“Harry?” Cedric started with a hint of disbelief and denial as he took a few steps closer.   
“What is it? Do they need us back upstairs?” The other Hogwarts student tried to supply. To everyone’s shock, Harry instead slowly shook his head no and swallowed heavily. It seemed he was going to say something but a loud bang from above stopped him.  
If Fleur hadn’t been sure that something terrible was going to happen, she knew without any doubt when she heard the door at the top of the stairs slam shut and Maxime screaming from the top of the stairs Harry Potter’s name while many other loud voices shouted back and forth.  
Hearing the ruckus, Harry quickly moved away from the door as Fleur got to her feet to find out what exactly had happened when Ludo Bagman appeared from the doorway. His eyes shined greedily and with an almost sadistic like glee that made Fleur croutch a little, as if expecting the man to snatch her away at any moment. Her veela instantly disliked the man and Fleur felt obliged to agree with her being.  
“Amazing! Incredible! Lady and gentlemen, may I present the fourth Triwizard Champion?!” Bagman exclaimed with all the excitement of a child given a galleon in a candy shop for the first time.  
Fleur’s jaw dropped in disbelief as her eyes shot to the youngest person in the room to see how he reacted to being named such.   
Harry Potter looked completely terrified, his face was ghostly pale which made his scar stand out more on his forehead. Under their scrutinizing gazes, he folded in on himself a little before giving his newly arrived headmaster a pleading look. As if begging the man to get him out of the situation, Harry waited as Dumbledore quickly came to his side and asked the boy calmly if he had put his name in the goblet of fire. Harry was quick to deny it and he also quickly denied asking another to enter him in the tournament when Maxime cut in.  
“But of course he is lying!” The French woman exclaimed as she swatted a low hanging light away from her face and made her way over to Fleur. Comforted by the half-giantess presence, Fleur straightened completely and welcomed the woman to her back. She even allowed Maxime to grab hold of her shoulders as if the two of them needed to feel another presence to keep themselves grounded in the moment.  
“The hell he is!” the Hogwarts deranged Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher exclaimed as he hobbled out of the doorway and over to Harry and Dumbledore.  
“The goblet of fire is an exceptionally powerful magical object. Only an exceptional powerful confundus charm could have hoodwinked it. Magic way beyond a fourth year!” The man argued as Krum’s headmaster stepped up to the battle worn auror.  
“It seems you have given this a fair bit of thought, Mad-eye!” The man sneered as the ex-auror glared up at him.   
Fleur was so caught up in the adults argument, she almost missed Cedric cursing rather colorfully before turning her attention to him. She was surprised to see a look of loathing on the young man’s face as he glared darkly at the youngest in the room and Fleur wondered if it was because he genuinely hated Harry or if he was annoyed that now he would have to share the spotlight with the already famous young man.  
It took Cedric only a moment to realize Fleur had heard him before he turned away to school his features when Fleur was distracted again as the door to the trophy room was thrown open with far more force than necessary and roughly hit the wall behind it.  
In stormed a very angry looking Hermione Granger, followed quickly by the Syces twins and Hogwarts half-giant, the groundskeeper.  
“Professor!” The youngest girl growled as she cut across the room to Dumbledore, ignoring anyone else who was quick to verbalize their displeasure at the newest arrivals.  
“Harry can’t be allowed to participate!” The girl began angrily as she practically squared up to the older wizard. She might have actually completely stepped within the wizards space if Angela Syces’ hand hadn’t caught the young girls elbow and pulled her back with a soft hiss that was promptly ignored.  
“He’s not old enough and he would be at a huge disadvantage compared to the other contestants.” Hermione argued as the other Syces sibling settled against a trophy case between Harry and the rest of the room, his arms crossed tensely across his chest.  
Fleur silently agreed with the young witch, it would be incredibly unfair for the Potter boy to participate as he would be sorely lacking in skills and knowledge she and her fellow seventh years had acquired in their additional three years of study.  
“I agree Professor.” The heavy accent of Hagrid cut in as the giant quickly stepped behind his students.   
“Harry can’t compete. He is too young and Hogwarts already has its Champion. It has to be a flook professor.” Hagrid beseeched the man who regarded the newest additions to the room with his full attention while the rest of the room stare on in shock and disbelief.  
“I agree with you both, Hagrid. Ms. Granger. But I’m afraid things are a little more complicated then just allowing Harry to compete or not.” Dumbledore softly noted. Fleur felt her anger rise at the mans tone. It was very simple in her mind, just don't let the boy compete.  
“Why?” Fleur demanded, speaking for the first time since her name had been called from the goblet of fire. Everyone turned to her and watched her dumbly before she asked her question again.  
“Why is it more complicated? Why can’t you simply pull him from the competition? He’s obviously not old enough.” Fleur asked as she noticed golden eyes baring down into her. She didn’t directly look at them and instead focused on the aged wizard, silently demanding his answer.  
“Barty…” The older man quietly asked for assistance from remaining Ministry worker who stepped forward to explain.  
“As each name was thrown into the goblet of fire, a magical contract was formed with the owner of said name and the Goblet. If selected, the participant would have to fulfill his duty and participate in the tournament or face the consequences of breaking the magical contract. Which is usually fatal.” The man explained as a new silence fell over the room.  
“Redraw the names then.” A fierce voice demanded. Fleur finally looked at Hermione as the girl shook the hand restraining her off and stepped up to Barty Crouch Sr.  
“Redraw the names and have those people compete.” The girl demanded again.  
Fleur didn’t know if she liked that idea too much. With it came the possibility that she might not be selected again. And some part of her felt she had to be the one to participate for Beauxbaton. If she didn’t then how was she going to change anything within her clan when they alway saw someone else as more competent than her?  
“Alas Ms. Granger, that would not work as Harry and the other contestants are all already bound to the contract of the goblet. To redraw names for the tournament, all the current candidates would have to die.” The Hogwarts headmaster stated gravely .   
Fleur noticed how Hermione instantly flinched and backed away from the old man before her eyes shot across the room to her. Drawn in by the younger girls eyes, Fleur couldn’t help but notice how the light gold they seemed to turn in the fire light was quickly darkening to a mahogany brown. A trick of the light no doubt, but Fleur was a little pained to see the girls eye fill with fear and wondered briefly why she had reacted so to the news before Angela Syces stepped between them. Blocking Fleur’s view of the young girl and breaking the sort of trance Fleur had unknowingly entered. Fleur shook her head slightly as a rush to cold went down her back and wondered what had just happened when Maxime spoke up as she moved around Fleur to walk more towards the other partial giant in the room.  
“Wait. Is the boy not already in a magical contract that forbids his participation in the tournament?” Maxime questioned. At first Fleur had no idea what the woman was talking about but then she remembered. Their first night here! The groundskeeper had mentioned that none of the D.A. could participate because they were consultants for the tournament.  
“What?” Karkaroff cut in. “What is she talking about?”  
All eyes were on Fleur and Maxime who glared heavily at Hagrid, making the others soon turn to look at the large man as he fidgeted uncomfortably under the rooms gaze.  
“Hagrid.” Alexander finally spoke up as he uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the trophy case he had been leaning on the whole time. Fleur noted how the young man slowly stalked over to the giant, anger rolling off of him, as if he was going to give a child a lecture for being bad.  
“What did you tell them?” The young man demanded, his eyes glinting dangerously as the magical field that surrounded the young man stilled. It reminded Fleur of the calm before the storm and she felt the need to step back but refused to do so out of pride.  
“I might of mentioned that with you two helping them with the tournament, and with the other three being too young to submit themselves, that the D.A. couldn’t participate.” Hagrid admitted shamefully before wincing when he was yelled at.  
“Hagrid!” Angela exclaimed as the giant quickly apologized.   
Soon the room was a chaotic mess again as now every adult in the room was yelling again, now that they had this new found information. Karkaroff was yelling at Dumbledore and Crouch that they had cheated as now Hogwarts had two champions, one of which was part of a group who had helped the ministry set up the tournament. Maxime was yelling at Hagrid for providing half truths and demanded to know how much Harry knew about the tournament while Moody and Bagman were yelling over the three DA members about if they should have even consulted for the tournament to begin with.  
The arguing was getting so loud and ridiculous that Fleur almost wanted to cover her ears when Krum of all people used a sonorus charm to enhance his voice and cut over all of them.  
“ENOUGH!!!” the Durmstrang champion demanded in his thick accent, forcing the room into silence when the adults had jumped at the volume of his voice. Cutting off the spell, Krum put his wand back in his pocket before addressing all of them.  
“This arguing and blaming each other isn’t going to solve anything!” The young man pointed out angrily. “So stop yelling and just tell us what is going to happen next because honestly, redrawing names is impossible since I don’t feel like dying in such a cowardly way.”  
The room was silent for a moment before Barty Crouch Sr stepped forward.  
“The rules are absolute…” The man began before starring Harry Potter down.  
“The Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Mr. Potter has no choice. He is, as of tonight, a triwizard champion.”  
A heavy silence fell over the room and Fleur notice how Hermione was quickly at Harry’s side, whispering softly to him when Ludo Bagman came over.  
“Well, now that that’s all settled. Champions! Congratulations!” The man started cheerfully even though everyone in the room was scowling heavily at him. Bagman seemed to give a small and fake laugh before clearing his throat to continue.  
“My student will not participate in this rigged tournament.” Maxime quickly interrupted as she resumed her place behind Fleur, making the man physically deflate at being interrupted. “Not while Mr. Potter has information the others do not.”  
“The only advantage he might have since he’s three years behind the rest of the champions.” Hermione verbally countered when Dumbledore raised a hand to silent his student. It didn’t seem to Fleur that his warning was going to work but whatever Alexander whispered in Hermione’s ear did as the girl quickly deflated and took a physical step back when he pulled away. Glaring down at the ground, Hermione seemed to be biting her tongue when Crouch spoke.  
“To keep the tournament fair, we will remove all aspects the D.A. assisted us with in the coming events.” The man decided. Fleur noticed how Hermione went to say something but was instantly silenced by a raised brow from the male Syces twin.   
“This will however require a bit of time on our parts to organize. So please bare with us in this brief adjustment period. For now champions, take a rest and focus on your school work. I will contact you all when things are prepared with instructions on what to do next.” Crouch announced before pulling Bagman away and exiting the trophy room to discuss how to change the tournament.  
With an official verdict made, Karkaroff ushered his champion away with one last sneer as Maxime collected Fleur to do that same.  
Feeling the giantess push on her, Fleur gave the group of quietly whispering Hogwarts students and staff one more passing glance and locked eyes with Hermione again. There were a thousand words in the girls eyes but the biggest one Fleur could understand from the girls stare was the endless worry she now had.   
For who, Fleur didn’t know but she didn’t have much time to consider who as she had to break eye contact with the girl while walking away. Leaving the room, Fleur took a deep breath as she allowed Maxime to lead her back to the carriage. She doubted she would sleep well at all that night. She had a tournament to prepare for and her magic to untangle now that she was competing against three others.


End file.
